Orval Marlen LOVEN

I've decided that I want a blog just to share the information I've gathered on my family. I'll be working on my ancestry along the family lines for starters, but later may branch that out  & share newer finds & information on people I'd already blogged about. Any & all information & images I share in this blog can be used for personal, genealogical use. Also, in this blog, I'll be using the format of DD MMM YYYY for dates & last names will be in all caps to make them clear.

I'm going to start with my paternal grandfather Orval Marlen LOVEN. Other then his obit & a few census records or 2, all the information I have for him is via word of mouth and the research of Jill Teslow, the LOVEN family record keeper for as long as I can remember.

My grandpa (Orval) was born 13 Jan 1921 in Decorah, Winneshiek county, Iowa to Henry Rudolph and Clarissa Benora (HENDRICKSON) LOVEN. Orval was the 2nd of 3 children with an older brother and a younger sister. (I'll have more information on them on Henry and Clarissa's pages.)

My grandpa (Orval) married my grandma Lois Marie BLUME 22 Jan 1950 in Belle Plaine, Scott county, Minnesota. They had 10 children together including my dad. The oldest in 1951 and the youngest in 1966. Among them was a still born daughter born on 1 Oct 1957 in Rushford, Fillmore county, Minnesota. Orval died 19 Mar 2004 on the farm in Peterson, Fillmore county, Minnesota of a cancerous brain tumor. His obit was in the Decorah, Iowa newspaper Sunday 21 Mar 2004. (I have a PDF of the online version of his obit available.) He was buried in East Grace Cemetery outside of Peterson next to his stillborn daughter.

I have found him on the following censuses:

• 1925 Iowa Census (it's for Glenwood township, Winneshiek county, but doesn't say that.)F
• 1930 US Census, page 6B; Glenwood township, Winnesheik county, Iowa
• 1940 US Census, page 7A, Glenwood township, Winneshiek county, Iowa

Since all of Orval and Lois's children (other then the unnamed stillborn daughter) are still living, I won't be giving specific details on them. However their names are (in order of birth): Mark, Paul, Joel, John, James, stillborn girl, Daniel, Ruth, Elisabeth, and Philip. I also have a memorial for him on findagrave.com which includes a transcription of his obituary.

EDIT (13 Oct 2013): I decided since this is my grandpa I'd post a few of the things I can remember about him.  Throughout the entire time I can remember he used a cane. Not a store bought cane either. He'd find a branch out in the woods on the farm (where he lived), strip the bark & finish it into a cane that he used. He also enjoyed those little wind up toys that he'd have "walk" across the table. He seemed to enjoy it as much as us kids did. I invite anybody else who knew him to post memories in the comments.

UPDATES:

• Funeral card and baptismal record
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