God has a unique picture to paint in the lives of each of His children. – Oswald Chambers.
The first brush strokes of Orvs life were made Aug. 17, 1920 in Seattle, Wash.; the oldest child of Wilhelm and Karoline Nyland, Norwegian immigrants. The final brush strokes of Orvs life were added Aug. 17, 2007 when he died of multiple myeloma in Marysville, Wash.
Orvs creativity was on display throughout his life in music, art, writing, architecture, and building.
The son of a master craftsman, he graduated from Lincoln High School in 1938. Later he joined the Navy and served on a sub-chaser in the South Pacific. He returned from WWII, married Rhoda Wallstrom in 1946 and worked as a carpenter.
He went to Seattle Pacific College (now University) on the G.I. Bill and graduated in 1951, with a degree in English Literature. He began his teaching at Ronald Elementary and then spent most of his 26-year teaching career in Seattle at Woodrow Wilson Jr. High.
At Wilson, Orv developed his passion for art, took watercolor and mosaic courses and began teaching more in the area of art. He began a life-long amateur career as a watercolorist, painting landscapes from his many trips to Norway and Sweden. In his last year he was still painting, displaying a dozen paintings at Grandview Village.
Music was also an important part of Orvs life. In his early 20s, he sang gospel songs for radio. During his teaching years he sang tenor with the School Masters quartet. They were regional representatives for the national championship in 1955. Orv sang frequently as soloist for his church.
Throughout his teaching career, Orv painted and remodeled homes each summer. He designed, remodeled and built several homes, creatively reusing resources: relocating a freeway house, tearing down and reusing a fire station. Upon early retirement from teaching in 1977, he continued building and remodeling homes in North Seattle, eventually building three multiple unit residences near Haller Lake.
After Rhodas death in September 1983, Orv married Charlotte Langsea in January 1985. They moved north, spending the next 20 years at Lake Goodwin, Smokey Point Lake Stevens and Marysville, all in Washington. He and Charlotte traveled extensively, visiting family and missionary friends in Haiti, Quebec, South America, Europe and Africa.
Orv served on several church boards and helped plant several new churches north of Seattle. Writing was also a creative outlet, as Orv spearheaded Writers in the Rough at Smokey Point, Community Church, writing dozens of devotionals.
In his final instructions he wrote, It is proper that you grieve my departure. I use that word deliberately, knowing that I leave this world for another, more glorious place, heaven itself. As you grieve, find a place in your hearts for praise praise that I knew the Lord, praise that I served Him and praise for yourselves, that you also know and love Him, who to know is life eternal! Ill see you in the morning! Dad
He is preceded in death by his wife Rhoda (1983), his wife Charlotte (June 2007), and his brother Clifford (June 2007). He is survived by his sister, Clara Smith; sister-in-law, Hazel Nyland; children, Larry (Kathy) Nyland, and Janet (David) Kronbach; grandchildren, Krystl Nyland (Erik) Hall, Kirk Nyland, Matthew Kronbach and Jeremy (Jenae) Kronbach; great-granddaughter, Treye Hall; and his wifes family, the Langseas.
Memorials may be made to Gatehouse Ministries (2211 College View Drive, Redding, CA 96003-8606); American Bible Society (1865 Broadway, New York, NY 10023-7505); Wycliffe Bible Translators (P.O. Box 628200, Orlando, FL 32862).
Memorial Service will be at Marysville Free Methodist Church (6715 Grove Street), Saturday, Aug. 25, at 10:30 a.m.