Orval Ray Wilkinson

Orval Ray Wilkinson was born January 24, 1937 in Wheeler, Texas. He was the fifth child born to Carl and Sarah Wilkinson. During the time of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl Era, life was hard for his family. While still a young boy his family moved several times, living in Texas, Oklahoma, and Colorado. His father, Carl, had a cousin working on a farm in California. They loaded up their Model A Ford truck with two mattresses and headed to central California in search of a job and a brighter future. When they arrived they had only a bucket of lard to trade for milk to feed their 6 children. Carl got a job milking and caring for cows and they raised their family in the San Joaquin Valley. The Wilkinson family attended Rev. Elder Garrett’s Pentecostal Church faithfully. Orval was very involved in church as a teen and had a special gift for memorizing Bible scriptures. At the age of thirteen he gave his heart to Jesus Christ and was baptized. As a young man in the 1950’s, Orval enjoyed driving fast, flashy cars and cruising the main streets of local towns on the weekends with his friend Dennis Ashlock. In 1955 he met Alice Hooker while visiting a church in Modesto. They were married in Ceres, Ca. in February 1956. Their first home was in Goshen, then Tulare, before settling in Fresno, Ca. They were blessed with three children, Diana, Douglas, and Darren. Orval worked in road construction, laying out hot asphalt and operating heavy equipment. While working for Operating Engineers, he paved the Tioga Pass in Yosemite National Park. Orval and his family attended Truth Tabernacle Church (Rev. Murray Lane) and often enjoyed Sunday family meals at his parent’s home nearby. In 1967 Orval moved his family to Monterey County where he joined his older brother James, at Granite Construction and operated the Hot Plant. They attended Pastor Lineberry’s Church in Castroville for several years and Orval taught Sunday school class, too. In 1985 his life took a different course. After parting with Alice he moved to West Siloam Springs, OK. It was always his heart’s desire to live somewhere near the Ozarks where he could go fishing, relax, and enjoy the great outdoors. Orval met Vicki and her four daughters, Susan, Penny, Amy, and Jennifer in Siloam. Vicki loved to fish and was an excellent cook, so they were soon happily married. Orval owned a car dealership for a while, then retired to pursue other interests. He was soon asked to join the City Council. Orval really enjoyed working on projects to improve and beautify his community. He set up a program and volunteered many extra hours providing opportunities for individuals to work off their citations. He’d drive the participants in a red van to the park and they’d groom the grounds. Orval would often share some sound advice for living a good life. After the work was done, they were rewarded with a cheeseburger & fries. One of Orval’s favorite projects was helping to plan and develop the playground park near the Police Department. It made him happy to see that children had a fun and safe place to play. Orval enjoyed nearly 40 years in West Siloam, with the people and land that he loved. He loved his family, friends, and his Savior Jesus Christ with all his heart. He passed away peacefully in his home June 29, 2024 at the age of 87 years. He was preceded in death by parents, Carl & Sarah Wilkinson, his wife Vicki, brothers Kenneth & James Wilkinson, and sister Virginia Caton. Orval is survived by his daughter Diana Terry (Michael), his sons Douglas Wilkinson and Darren Wilkinson (Theresa), his sisters Lois Williams and Alice Butcher, and his sister-in-law Sally Riddle. He is also survived by five grandchildren, Christy, Rachel, Laura, Brandon, Cory, and two great grandsons, Oliver and Theodore. Graveside Services will be held at Falling Springs Cemetery in Decatur, Arkansas on Wednesday, July 10th at 10:00 am.

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Orval Ray Wilkinson

January 24, 1937 - June 29, 2024