Orville Jay Hendrickson, (OJ), husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, entrepreneur, and distinguished military veteran was born in a log cabin near Felt, Idaho on October 29, 1924 and passed away in Salt Lake City at the age of 99 on June 24, 2024. He lived a remarkable life.
OJ served his country with valor during World War II, enlisting in the Army Air Corps in 1943 at the age of 18. He attended Saint Anselm University in Manchester, New Hampshire for preflight training and evaluation. His exceptional skills and work ethic led him to serve as a navigator and before long, a navigation instructor. Throughout the war, OJ was transferred every five weeks to new bases to train bomber navigators, a responsibility that saw him in charge of over 100 bomber crews all in the air at the same time. His leadership and expertise were instrumental in preparing these crews for critical bombing runs over Europe and the Pacific.
He was honorably discharged from active duty at the conclusion of World War II in 1945 but continued to serve in the Air Force Reserves until his retirement in 1984, having attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
After serving in the war, Orville pursued his passion for learning, attending the University of Washington on the GI bill. He earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering, with minors in Accounting and Mathematics. He attained professional certification as a Mechanical Engineer, setting the stage for a successful career as an owner of Industrial Contractors, Inc. in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
His engineering prowess left a lasting impact on projects across the globe. He worked on projects as diverse as building dams on the Columbia River to working for NASA at what would become Mission Control in Houston. He was always on the move, going where the work was, taking his company and family as far away as Australia during the course of his career.
OJ was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years Lauretta, and his eldest daughter Kara. He is survived by his five remaining children, Brad (Luella), Charlie (Kathy), Pam (Danny), Tish (Alan) and Tammy. OJ was also a proud grandfather and great-grandfather, and leaves behind ten grandchildren and one great-grandchild, as well as many extended family members and friends who will remember him with admiration and love.
May he rest in peace.
Funeral arrangements will be announced for family and close friends to pay their respect to this remarkable man.
Guestbook/Condolences
A great Old school gentleman and a mentor to me. I have many “OJisms” in my vernacular as we all do. A great man, father and uncle to each of us. My sincere condolences to all who knew and loved the great OJ.
Charlie,
My sympathies on the passing of your dad. A life so well lived and love throughout it all.
Linda
Charlie,
My sympathies on the passing of your dad. A life so well lived and love throughout it all.
Linda
Unfortunately, I only knew OJ for a couple of his latter years, more than a decade ago. When I first met him, I spent several hours together talking. He struck me as genuine, candid, honest, trustworthy, compassionate and substantial. I had the great pleasure of representing him in the sale of nearly a dozen units in a development he was involved in - Valley Centre subdivision, Driggs, Idaho. I have always been grateful for the opportunity to know him and represent him. He left a long lasting impression. I regret I did not hear about the time of his death early enough that I could have attended his funeral. My wife Julie and I were talking about him, and our fond experiences together, this evening, August 4th 2024, which caused me to go online and research that which I found. In memory of his kindness and wisdom, may his resilient nature live on forever, wishing it could be passed on to the masses as they would all benefit. With great respect, Mark Rockefeller 2410