Cover photo for Orville Cole's Obituary
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Orville Cole

January 20, 1920 — June 30, 2010

Orville Cole

FOREST CITY - Orville Cole, 90, of Forest City, formerly of Ames, died Wednesday (June 30, 2010) at the Good Samaritan Society in Forest City.

Funeral services will be held 11 A.M., Saturday at Calvary Baptist Church in Forest City with Pastor Doug Farrell officiating. Burial will be in Madison Township Cemetery with military rites by the Forest City Veterans Ceremonial Unit.

Visitation will be held one hour prior to services at the church. Petersen Lund Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Orville Cole, the son of George and Clara (Nerem) Cole, was born January 20, 1920 near Roland. He was baptized and confirmed at Salem Lutheran Church in Roland. He graduated from Roland High School in 1939 and worked on the family farm with his brother. He served his country during WW II in the U.S. Army from 1942 until his honorable discharge as Staff Sergeant in 1945. Orville served in the 90th Division, 358th Infantry, Company C and took part in the battle and campaigns of Normandy, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe. He received the European-African-Middle Eastern Theatre Ribbon with four Bronze Battle Stars, a Bronze Service Arrowhead, three overseas service bars, a service stripe, a Silver Star for bravery, Purple Heart medal with first and second Bronze Clusters and a Combat Infantry badge. He was wounded at Normandy, Moisell River and at the Belgium Bulge. Following his discharge, he returned home to farm until 1950 when he moved to Forest City. At the age of 33 he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. On February 1, 1954 he married Frances Smith at Calvary Baptist Church parsonage. For a short time he operated a restaurant and worked for several farmers. Between 1958 and 1961 he worked for the Forest City Public Schools as custodian. Then the family moved to Ames where Orville was employed at the school system and post office. In 1973 they moved to a farm near Boone where he was instrumental in starting and building the Berean Baptist Church. He served faithfully as a deacon and in many other capacities. He retired from the post office in August of 1983 as head of maintenance. In August of 1991, he and Frances returned to Forest City and in 1993 moved to a farm east of town. Due to ill health, they moved to Ames in 2005.

He was a member of Heartland Baptist Church in Ames and Calvary Baptist Church in Forest City.

Orville is survived by his wife, Frances, of Ames; two sons, Craig Cole of Overland Park, KS and David (Ruth) Cole of Ames; two grandchildren, Jonathan and Hannah Cole; a sister-in-law, Jeanne Cole of Mason City; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; daughter, Mary Beth Cole; daughter-in-law, Aviah Cole; two sisters, Abbie Peterson and Morna Olson; and four brothers, Arnold, Virgil, Ernie and George Cole.
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