DeLos Larmer Orr (1922 - 2004)

Born 10 May 1922 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

Ancestors

Husband of Alice May (Sanderson) Orr — married 17 Oct 1953 in Salt Lake, Utah, USA

Descendants

Died 25 Dec 2004 at age 82 in Price, UT

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Cameron Orr [send private message]

Biography

Introduction

This document is a biographical history following the life of DeLos “De” Larmer Orr. It is based primarily on research and information gathered by De’s son (my father), Patrick (Pat) Delos Orr.

Patrick wrote an initial draft of this history shortly after De’s death. The personal details are difficult to substantiate, but where possible, I’ve added citations for dates and places. All other information is based on first-hand accounts relayed to Pat and De’s other surviving children.

Birth and Early Childhood

De was born on May 10, 1922 to Sarah Whitaker and Larmer Charles Orr^[1] in Salt Lake City. In 1924, Sarah’s sister Ruth (De’s Aunt) traveled with the family by train to the Los Angeles area of California, where they lived for most of De’s childhood.

During the Great Depression, De’s father primarily worked as a truck driver, and De remembered him as always looking out for people who were struggling through these difficult times, even though they were also struggling.

At the height of the Great Depression, it was common for the oldest children in families to be sent to live with other relatives. As such, De’s grandmother frequently took care of him. During this period, De spent time with several Mexican families who lived in the same neighborhood, and enjoyed many meals in their homes. These meals were the seed that led to a lifelong fondness for Mexican food, especially tacos. De thought he would have starved had it not been for the willingness of these families to treat him as one of their own.

De’s aunts and uncles were also a big part of his childhood, and the families often went to the beach for weekend outings.

Cliff Jenson, husband of Leona Whitaker, and De’s father often played cards together De remembers that Cliff was the only person his dad would allow to discuss religion in their home. Cliff eventually convinced Larmer to allow De and his brothers, Wayne and Thomas, to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS Church).

The Whitakers had been members of the LDS Church from its early days, beginning with James Whitaker (De’s Great-Great Grandfather), who was an officer in the Navoo Legion, and a personal bodyguard to Joseph Smith, the Church’s founder. James and his family were pioneers who eventually settled in the Willard, Utah area.

Family legend says that Sarah Whitaker (De’s mother) was born in a U.S. Post Office in Standrod, Utah.

In about 1933, as the Depression continued, De was sent to Naf, Idaho, where he lived with another aunt, Frances , and her husband, [[Neal-4303 | Harry Neal]. According to De, the Neals owned a gold mine in the hills above Naf, and lived in a cabin near the mine. Dave, one of the Neal children, was like a brother to De, and they remained close until David’s death in 1979.

Memories from Naf

De’s memories of his time with the Neals were fond, and he always thought Frances and Harry treated him like their own child.

When De was about 14, his cousin Wendall – the son of Cliff and Leone – visited De in Idaho. At the age of just 15 or 16, the young man hitchhiked all the way from California, staying at relatives’ homes the entire way. Just before arriving at the Neals’ home, Wendall had an accident while crossing a frozen river. He was starting to go into hypothermia when Harry, driving through the small canyon, found the young man. Wendall recovered completely, with the help of some whisky and a warm fire.

In his adolescence, De became a skilled baseball player, and his coach commented that he had the body and talent to play at a higher level. According to De, he hit so many home runs that the school league in the area ruled that hitting the ball out of the park would be considered an out. De was also a strong runner. A favorite story involved Dave playing a prank, running ahead of the younger De while the pair were cutting through an old cemetery. Though Dave had a significant head start, De had passed him in a dead run before they’d even run a hundred feet.

When they weren’t playing baseball, Dave and De tended to get into trouble.

At one point, the pair also got into trouble when they decided to dress-up as girls to crash a dance or activity. A girl they knew (possibly Maxine, Dave’s sister) let them borrow the clothes, then felt guilty about it and turned them in. Dave and De were caught and apparently punished by a “very mean” women’s gym teacher.

In another incident, De and Dave decided to set off a stick of dynamite. Because of the mine, Harry kept a supply of the explosive, and they wanted to see what it was like. While Dave and De disagreed on exactly how much dynamite they set off – half a stick, or a full stick – and what kind of cap they used, they set the dynamite against a log stump, then got behind a fallen log before detonating it. The explosion was much bigger than either boy had anticipated. Needless to say, Harry noticed and the boys were punished.

Another story De told involved a big black bumblebee he caught between Aunt Fran’s lace curtains and a window. Though he tried to squeeze the large insect between his thumb and forefinger, he received a painful sting for his trouble.

Dave and De also came up with a way of entertaining travelers along the highway bordering one of Harry Neal’s pastures (this was probably near US30/Idaho State Highway 81), and regular Greyhound buses would pass by. The pasture was home to a tall stack of hay and a surly old horse who the boys liked to tease. They had learned that by jumping on the horse or kicking him hard in the flanks that he would start to buck. So, while watching out for the bus, the boys would take turns jumping from the haystack onto the horse’s back. According to De, bus drivers would often stop to let passengers out to watch the “hardcore Idaho cowboys” ride their bronco. Many even took pictures. For dramatic effect, Dave and De even took to donning chaps and cowboy hats for dramatic effect.

De also had memories of placing milk cans on sets of skis, then skiing down the mountain to town to deliver milk.

One final story from this period involved hunting. Harry’s land included several acres of wooded area, and Harry occasionally allowed people to hunt on his property for Mule Der. Such was the case with a group of Harry’s acquaintances from California, who Harry invited to stay on the property. When Harry went to visit his friends’ camp, he found that they had already caught and gutted an animal, but on closer inspection, it became clear that the men had killed one of Harry’s prized mules by mistake. Harry was so angry he bit through his pipe, The Guests were asked to leave and did so in a big hurry.

Return to California

Early in 1937, De received word that the grandmother he’d spent much of his early childhood with had passed away. Only a year earlier, he’d received word that his father had been killed in a trucking accident. Because of these loses, De made the decision to return to California to assist his widowed mother in raising his younger brothers and sister.

Later in life, he regretted this decision, as the next few years were difficult for him, and De began to have trouble with the law. These troubles continued until December 13, 1942, when De enlisted in the Navy. He was 19.

Military Service

De joined the Navy just 12 months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.^[2] He served on several ships during the War, including:

• USS Acree (DE-167) - July 19, 1943 - February 3, 1945
• USS Orestes (AGP-10) - August 7, 1945 - April 7, 1946
• USS Chicago (CA-136) - November 7, 1946 - April 22, 1947

De was also present for a number of important battles and operatios during the war. These included

• Hollandia Operations (April 21-24, 1944). Authorized to wear Bronze star on January 30, 1945.
• Capture and occupation of Saipan (June 20 – August 10, 1944)
• Capture and occupation of Guam (July 30 – 31, 1944)
• Capture and Occupation of Tinian (July 24 – August 10, 1944). Authorized to wear Bronze Star on January 30, 1945.
• Assault on the Philippine Islands, Sept 9 – 24, 1944. Authorized to wear bronze star on July 7, 1945.

Additional Medals and Honors

• American Area and Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medals,
• WWII Victory Ribbon,

Discharge

Towards the end of the war, and in the years after, De became frustrated by his ties to the Navy. Though he had intended only to enlist for the duration of the War, his contract with the Navy required him to remain in their service even after the war ended.^[3] As a result, De began getting into trouble.

He was charged with insubordination on one occasion, and for being AWOL on several occasions. De spent time in the Brig for these offenses and was eventually Court Martialed for an AWOL offense.

Though he was found guilty, the board granted clemency on De's sentence due to his exceptional combat record and exceptional work performance, allowing most of his sentence to be commuted. Though he hoped to return to the Navy to finish out his tour, the board decided it would be better to allow him to go his own way. De was officially released from the Navy on January 25, 1952.

Marriage and Children

De married Alice May greathouse on October 17, 1953^[4] in Salt Lake City. Together, they had five children.

Post-Divorce

In California, De worked for USA Petroleum, where he helped to build and remodel gas stations. Pat spent several summers working with his father, and his brother followed suit a few years later.

Pat recalls working hard, but having lots of fun during these summers, particularly during downtimes. He also recalls barbecues with with “Aunt Fran” where De often shared stories of his youth and his experiences during the war.

Death and Burial

De died from the effects of cancer on Christmas Eve 2004^[5] in Price, Utah. He was 82 years old. His remains were interred next to those of his mother in the Willard City Cemetery in Willard, Utah .

Obituary

De Los L. Orr passed away Dec. 25, 2004 in Price after a courageous fight with lung cancer, surrounded by his loving family.

He was born May 10, 1922 in Salt Lake to Larmer and Sarah (Whitaker) Orr.

Dad lived a full life and was liked and respected by all who knew him. He served honorably during World War II for 11 years in the service of his country. He was awarded two bronze stars and one silver star. He saw combat in many of the major battles in the South Pacific including Midway, Tinian, Siapan and the Philippines. Dad had a great love for family and was always proud of his children and grandchildren. Dad loved his job painting high steel. He was known as one of the finest steeplejacks in the California area. He loved the desert and swimming in the ocean and he loved to go fishing in the Price area with his son and son-in-laws. He also loved animals. His sense of humor and compassion for others will be greatly missed.

De Los is survived by wife, Alice Orr of Price; son, Patrick (Susan) Orr of Tooele; two daughters, Kathleen (Rick) Price and Debbie (Steve) Meyer, both of Price; seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Also survived by sister, Betty Hobbs of Palmer, Alaska; brothers, Jay and Wayne Orr of California. Preceded in death by parents; son, Lormer Orr; and brother, Thomas Orr.

Sources

1. ↑ De’s middle name (also his father’s) has been inconsistently spelled. Alternate spellings include Lormer, Lorner, Larimer, Lomar, and Lorimer, most commonly. Pat recalls the “Larmer” spelling being preferred by De. According to military records, the name on his Birth Certificate was “Lorner Delos Orr.”
2. ↑ All information in this section is based on De's official service record
3. ↑ The military records for his court martial and discharge include testimony from De, in which he said he was required to serve for five years of net service. At the time of his discharge he had net service of 4 years, 2 months, an 29 days.
4. ↑ Confirmed by Utah Marriage records
5. ↑ Confirmed by US Social Security Death Index.

• FamilySearch
• Direct evidence.
• http://www.sunad.com/obituaries/2004/12/obituaries-318/