September 5, 1925 - June 25, 2017
Orley Campbell passed away at the age of 91 at Haven Hill Retirement Centre. He will be sadly missed by his loving wife of 66 years, Yvonne, and their four children: Kelvin (Bonnie), Sharleen (Jeff), Gary (Rhonda), and Linda (Mike). He was a caring grandfather of 11 and a proud great-grandfather of 9.
Orley was born at home on a farm in Westlock Alberta, the youngest son of 10 children. As a young man he worked as a blacksmith in northern Alberta and there he met the love of his life, a one-room school teacher, Yvonne Kelly. They were married in 1951 and remained completely devoted to each other - you never saw one without the other.
Dad was a trained mechanic and welder who excelled at many occupations. He described himself as a jack-of-all-trades but many will remember him as owner of Orley’s Repair Shop on Ellis Street. Over the years, Mom & Dad moved numerous times, residing the longest in Penticton and Summerland where they were active members in the church community. Wanting to make a difference, they traveled to many parts of the world, volunteering with Wycliffe Bible Translators and Gleanings for the Hungry.
One of Dad`s greatest achievements in life was constructing two portable cable-tool drilling rigs for use in rural Africa. He started building the rigs at age 75, and at age 80 he travelled to Zambia to drill his first well and pass on the equipment to the locals. Orley was particularly proud that he could utilize his skills to produce hundreds of wells that will continue to supply clean healthy water to those in need.
In his leisure time, Dad loved fishing, boating and golfing, and was an accomplished oil painter. Dad also spent countless hours selflessly helping all of his children with home renovations, appliance repair, and automotive services, which was very much appreciated. As well, Mom and Dad travelled to the US and Canada in their RV and enjoyed many winters in Yuma, Arizona with their friends. Dad led a long, happy, and interesting life, and will always be fondly remembered.
If desired, donations may be made to Seeds of Hope International Partnerships (Water Projects, SOHIP.org). The family would like to sincerely thank the staff at Haven Hill for caring for Dad, especially in his final days.
A private family memorial service will be held later this summer.
Condolences can be sent to
www.everdenrust.com.