Friday, July 9, 2010

"Ollie and Me...May 2010..."

Orville Krahenbuhl 1917-2010

Orville "Ollie" Krahenbuhl, 92, of DeKalb, Ill.,
passed away Wednesday, June 23, 2010,
at DeKalb County Rehab & Nursing Center, DeKalb.
He was born July 8, 1917,
on a farm near Bristol, Ill.,
the eldest son
of John and Gertrude (Gittleson) Krahenbuhl.
He married his college sweetheart, Lillian,
on Sept. 19, 1942,
at Calvary Lutheran Church in rural Lee.
They were married for almost 65 years
before her death in 2007.
Ollie was a graduate of Rochelle High School, Class of 1937.
He also was a graduate
of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.
Ollie, a three-sport star for Northern Illinois
from 1937-41
who was inducted into the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame
in 1985.
Krahenbuhl earned 11 letters in football,
men's basketball and baseball for the Huskies,
playing for
legendary Huskies' football head coach
George "Chick" Evans.
A fullback and punter for the
Northern Illinois football team,
Krahenbuhl was named
to the "Next 100" of the Huskies' All-Century Team.
He was a first team Little 19 Conference fullback
in 1938 and 1940,
helping the 1938 squad to its first Little 19 Conference title.
Krahenbuhl still owns
two of the longest punts in Northern Illinois history
as his 90-yard boot versus Illinois State
in the game that would decide the Little 19 title
stands as the second-longest punt in school history.
His punting was said to be a key factor
in the Huskies' 2-0 victory that day.
He added an 80-yard punt versus Central Michigan
in 1940
which ranks third on the all-time list.
The four Huskie football teams Krahenbuhl played on
posted a combined record of 20-8-5
and
never had a losing season.
"Ollie Krahenbuhl is the greatest punter I ever saw,"
Evans told the DeKalb Daily Chronicle
in 1968.
Krahenbuhl also earned
a Little 19 Conference Championship
on the basketball court as a member of the 1940-41
Huskie hoops team
under head coach Ralph McKinzie.
That squad won the league crown
with a 15-3 record
with Krahenbuhl serving as the team's co-captain.
In his three years as a basketball letter winner,
his NIU teams never had a losing season.
The 6-0 guard was named to
Northern Illinois' All-Century Basketball Team
in 2001.
Krahenbuhl was also a four-year letter winner
in baseball from 1938-41,
with the team's most successful season
during his tenure in 1940 with a 14-12 record.
Ollie served in the Navy and the Army in WW II.
Following the war,
he returned to the area and served as athletic director
and coached four varsity sports
at Harlem High School in Rockford
and was a coach and teacher at
Shabbona High and Malta High Schools
while also running his family farm
near Lee and Steward, Illinois.
An avid golfer,
he was a longtime member of Kishwaukee Country Club,
as well as the
American Legion and Rotary International.
He was a longtime member of Calvary Lutheran Church,
teaching Sunday School,
holding a position on its Administrative Board
and serving for many years as an usher.
He and his wife, Lillian,
traveled widely around the United States,
often on visits to or for activities involving their children and grandchildren.
They spent their winters in Arizona from 1981-2001.
He is survived by his five children,
Gary (Richey) Krahenbuhl of Tempe, Ariz.,
James (Jean) Krahenbuhl of Earp, Calif.,
Scott (Peg) Krahenbuhl of Surprise, Ariz.,
Debra (Jan) Hueber of Steward and
Doug (Sue) Krahenbuhl of Steamboat Springs, Colo.;
15 grandchildren;
16 great-grandchildren;
and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Lillian;
his parents;
and his brother, Eugene.
An emergency flight to Illinois the evening of
June 22nd
landed us well after midnight
but
enabled us to see Ollie and be with him
in his last hours.
We felt very, very blessed.
Yesterday would have been Ollie's
93rd birthday.
We celebrated it with smiles and tears of joy
but also
with a big hole in our hearts.
I absolutely know he was smiling down on us
"with love from above".

"Perhaps they are not stars,
but rather openings in heaven where the love
of our lost ones
pours through and shines down upon us
to let us know they are happy."
~Eskimo Proverb

15 comments:

Marva Plummer-Bruno said...

Hi Margaret, I haven't been by in awhile and thought I'd pop over. I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. Will keep you both in my prayers. Marva

Serena Lewis said...

My sincere condolences on your loss ~ xo

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I am so sorry to hear this Peg. I have been wondering why we haven't heard from you lately. Big Hugs.

soulbrush said...

what a long and wonderful life he had. that is to be cherished. sincere condolences peg.

studio lolo said...

what a beautifully written obit and tribute to your father in law.
He was quite an athlete and by the sounds of it, quite a wonderful man.

Condolences to you and Scott♥

marianne said...

My condolences. I am sorry for your loss, but it must be a comfort he had such a long and rich life! What a special man he must have been!

hugs
>M<

BARBARA WEEKS said...

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. Your post shows how fortunate you feel to have had him in your life. How fortunate he was to be so appreciated.

Ginny Stiles said...

What a beautiful tribute, Peg.

I would like to make a heartfelt and friendly suggestion. Would you consider changing your prose comments to a left side margin instead of centered? I find that SO SO difficult to read. You are SUCH a good writer (and artist) and I so enjoy your writing but often I do not read it because I find the centered prose to be so awkward. Centered writing should be for poetry or quotations. Why not try it for awhile and see if your readers make any comment about it?

Sandra Strait said...

I'm sorry to hear about your father-in-law. It sounds like he had a long and fruitful life, and was a wonderful person.

kitty said...

What a wonderful testament to an incredible man!!! WhaT a life! He must've been one heckuva fellow!!! condolences on your loss, but you have much to be proud of!!

Anonymous said...

I haven't been here for a while .. and I'm sorry to hear of your loss. He seems to have been quite an impressive man.
I'm sure he was smiling at you all, too.
Hugs

Anonymous said...

Very nice, Peg! Love the tribute & the pic! Keep it in the middle!;) JGL:)

Caroline said...

Oh so sorry to read of your loss, Peg - was wondering where you were these past few days. Your tribute to your father-in-law is so nice - I'm sure he will be much missed.

PAK ART said...

A lovely tribute to a wonderful person. I'm glad you were able to have him in your life. Prayers are with you and your husband as you go through this time of loss!

Teri and her Stylish Adventure Cats said...

It has been over 3 weeks since I visited! What a loving post to your "Ollie" you wrote...how wonderful to have shared in his life and love...