Orleatha W. Kellogg, age 94, of Fremont passed away, Thursday, April 2, 2020, at the Crowell Memorial Home in Blair. She was born on May 26, 1925 in Bethel, Kansas to Hector and Grace (Lawver) Gravel. The family moved to Nebraska in 1929 to the maternal grandparents homestead farm southeast of Rising City.

She attended the rural school near the farm and graduated from Rising City High School in 1942. She moved to Central City, NE where she worked as a waitress in the dining room of the Merrick Hotel. In 1943 she attended a small college near Central City (now Nebraska Christian High School) where she earned her teaching certificate. She was hired to teach a combined room of third and fourth graders at the K-12 school at Archer, Nebraska. She had achieved a lifelong dream of becoming a school teacher.

On May 12, 1944 she married Ronald Kellogg at Bethel, Kansas. Ron was in the military at that time and was stationed at Camp Adair, Oregon. She finished out her school term and then joined Ron in Oregon. In July he was sent to Fort Belfoir, Virginia for engineer training. No wives were allowed. Orleatha went home to Rising City to live out the deployment term of Ron’s.

She was hired to teach in the rural school (near the farm where she grew up) where she and her mother both attended as children. She taught for two terms while Ron was fighting WWII in the Third Army under General Patten in Europe. Ron returned home in 1946 after serving one year of occupational duty in Germany.

The couple settled in Fullerton, Nebraska where Ron under the GI Bill apprenticed to be a building contractor and Orleatha became secretary-bookkeeper at the Consumer Public Power office. A daughter Karen joined the couple in 1949. Ron and Orleatha were members of the Presbyterian Church where Orleatha taught Sunday school and bible school and Ron was trustee. Ron built many homes in around Fullerton.
The couple moved to Fremont in 1951 where Ron continued his construction business. His biggest projects were the Keene Memorial Library, the original YMCA and the grain elevators west of Fremont. He was also founder and President of Kelly Klosure Systems.

They became members of the Presbyterian Church in Fremont where Orleatha taught Sunday school and bible school. She also trained Sunday School teachers at the annual Nebraska Synod school held at Hastings College in Hastings, Nebraska. Ron served as trustee and was a member of the building committee.

Orleatha took her daughter’s brownie troop (208) through to senior girl scouts, ending with a 16 day camping trip to the Black Hills of south Dakota. She also had a den of Webelo’s for son Douglas’ Boy Scout troop. She served as Camp Director on the 19 county Prairie Hills Girl Scout Council and was part of the effort in acquiring the Crossed Arrow Girl Scout Camp near Nickerson, Nebraska.

She wrote a column “A View From 20th Street” for the Fremont Tribune for 15 ½ years, and put some of her Holiday columns in a small paperback titled “The Nonsense and Common Sense.” She interviewed 125 descendants of the pioneers of Dodge County which became a book “Bloom On The Land.” A copy of which has been placed in the governors mansion under “Nebraska Writers.” She also had several Christian drama skits published by Lillenas Publishing of Kansas City, Kansas. She was a member of the Omaha branch of the National Pen Women and served as its President for a year.

She went back to college to get her degree, enrolling at Midland College now (Midland University) and at that time was one of only two older adults enrolled. She graduated with majors in Psychology, English and Elementary Education with a minor in French. She put her name in as a substitute teacher in the elementary school but was never called. Dr. Jim Kurtz, head of the adult education department asked her to teach GED classes which she accepted.

Always a love of the outdoors, she was counselor at junior high camp at Calvin Crest west of Fremont, a co-director of senior high backpack hiking into the back country of Colorado National Park in Colorado.
The couple loved to travel and her favorite and best trip was to Israel in 1979. In that year they left the Presbyterian church and went to First Lutheran Church in Fremont. Orleatha taught ninth grade Sunday school, was the choir’s angel, and served as Vice President and then President of the Women’s group.

In 2000 she returned to the Presbyterian church where she was a member of circle 2, served as a study group leader, Stephen Ministries and a deacon.

In later years she was confined to her home by a severe and painful stenosis of the spine. Always having the need for useful tasks she didn’t give into the pain but taught herself to quilt. She completed 26 quilts in all for the comfort and pleasure of her family members. She loved to read and her love of books was such, that if she needed an article of clothing and wanted to buy a book – the book won every time. She loved bird watching, fed the birds year round and provided water for bathing and drinking. She considers the birds as one of God’s most creative creatures marveling at different markings and color of the many species. She marveled at God’s creation – taking great joy in observing his wonders and would remark about the miracle of a baby or “How can a big red ripe tomato come from a tiny yellow bloom?” and so on as she studied nature around her. Always acknowledging nature as Lord’s first missonary as she studied and learned from the sermons represented by God’s gifts.

She is survived by son, Doug Kellogg of Fremont; grandchildren, Kelly Perley, Shawn (Becky) Kellogg, Luke (Tabby) Kellogg; Reise and Reilly Murphy, Ellen Taylor, Eja , Norah and Ethan Kellogg and Benjamin, Vito and Vincenzo DeSilva; great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, Masen Halverson and River DeSilva. Extended family Nancy Cooper’s children, Cindi (Bill) Dierese, William Freeman, Jake and Amanda Tittle, William, Jr. and Olivia Freeman.

Preceded in death by her parents; husband, Ronald and daughter, Karen J. Murphy; adopted daughter Nancy Cooper; brothers, Victor and Robert Gravel; sisters, Violet Hurt and Loretta Satin; grandchildren, Chad Waddel and Megan Murphy and great-great-granddaughter, Justine Silverman.

A Celebration of Life Service will be at a later date. Interment will be at Ridge Cemetery in Fremont.
Memorials are suggested to Camp Calvin Crest.

Online condolences may be left at www.mosermemorialchapels.com.

Source: https://memorials.mosermemorialchapels.com/orleatha-kellogg/4179326/