ORVIS J. VANNATTA

Posted 7/22/12

Orvis J. Vannatta, lifelong resident of the area, passed away at Wayne Memorial Hospital, Honesdale, PA on Monday, July 16, 2012. He was 87.

He was born in Honesdale, PA on March 10, 1925 to the …

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ORVIS J. VANNATTA

Posted

Orvis J. Vannatta, lifelong resident of the area, passed away at Wayne Memorial Hospital, Honesdale, PA on Monday, July 16, 2012. He was 87.

He was born in Honesdale, PA on March 10, 1925 to the late Orvis E. and Ethel M. Hensz Vannatta. Orvis was married for 57 years to the late Carmen D.“Carrie”Callico Vannatta, who worked as a registered nurse in local hospitals, and preceded Orvis in death on April 30, 2004. Together, Orvie and Carrie were active in many community endeavors including, but not limited to, the Tusten-Cochecton Regional Library and various fundraising activities and benefits.

Orvis was a WWII Navy Veteran, having served in both the European and Pacific Theatres from 1943 to 1946 as a Motor Machinists Mate, First Class. Soon after the war, he married Carrie and began Orvis J. Vannatta Excavating and Contracting, which later became Van Excavating in partnership with his childhood friend, Albert E. VanKeuren. Later, he worked and retired from the New York State Dept. of Labor as a State Wage Rate Investigator.

Orvis was a member of Narrowsburg United Methodist Church; the American Legion; Masons; Tusten Settlement Church Association and was a volunteer fireman with the Narrowsburg Fire Dept. He also made an invaluable contribution to the Tusten Historical Society, often helping the late Emily Hallock identifying items with his considerable knowledge of local history. He was also a member of the American Truck Historical Society, of which his son, John, is current President; the Wheel Horse Tractor Collector Assn., and Neversink Rondout Antique Machinery Association.

Orvis is survived by his three children: son John O. Vannatta and wife Carolyn Bonhard Vannatta of Leonardtown, MD; daughter Sue Ellen Franklin and husband Herschel DeWayne Franklin of Plano, TX; and son Louis E. Vannatta and wife Susan Grey Vannatta of Ashburn, VA; three grandchildren: Stefanie Anton, Gregory Vannatta and Kelly Rose; and two step great grandchildren: Trent Anton and Ryan Anton.

A private burial will take place Friday, July 20 at Glen Cove Cemetery, Narrowsburg, NY, with a Memorial Service and Celebration of Orvis’s life planned for a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations being made in Orvis’s honor go to Tusten Historical Society, P.O. Box 18, Narrowsburg, NY 12764, or the Tusten Settlement Church where Carrie is memorialized, at 5 Grassy Swamp Rd. Narrowsburg, NY 12764.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rasmussen Funeral Home, Narrowsburg, NY.