Orin C. Trabert's Obituary
Orin C. Trabert died peacefully while receiving hospice care at Brookdale North Assisted Living facility in Tucson, AZ on October 4, 2020 at the age of 97, from complications of prostate cancer.
Orin was born in Williamsburg, KS to Cleaves Clifford Trabert and Catherine (Sutherland) Trabert Jacobson. At the age of 14, his family moved to Olathe, KS. Orin graduated from Olathe High School in 1941, where he was a cheerleader and received the school letter “O” for playing tennis. Orin married Shirley Lee Russell, daughter of Howard and Mary (Lee) Russell of Olathe, in April 1942 and were married 57 years. He learned to weld through the National Youth Administration, a New Deal agency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Orin was a private in the U.S. Army during WWII, where he was a welder on airplanes. He purchased a Phillips “66” service station in 1949, which he operated until 1970. He was reputed as having skills for repairing anything with a wad of gum or duct tape. Orin then became a full-time agent with Patron’s Insurance, later partnering with his son, Orin Timothy. He joined the College Church of the Nazarene for which he and Shirley made missionary trips to various countries, building churches. Orin was an active member of the Jaycees, Chamber of Commerce, Odd Fellows and Morning Grange. He enjoyed playing on a weekly bowling team with his buddies. He was recognized as “Volunteer of the Year” by the Johnson County Chapter of the American Red Cross for coordinating a first aid training program.
He retired in 1988 and moved to Tucson, AZ with Shirley, where they joined a group called the “Rockhounds”. They travelled throughout Arizona exploring the desert terrain and critters. Orin was preceded in death by his wife and two sons: James Patrick and Michael Lee.
He is survived by two daughters, Mary Kay Poland of Marietta, GA; Joanne Trabert of Tucson, AZ; and a son, Orin Timothy of Kansas City, KS; seven grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren. After Shirley’s death, Orin shared a loving relationship with Mrs. Kay Penny, a widow with four grown children: Robert, Stan, and Richard Penny and Leslie Degnan. During this Covid-19 pandemic, a memorial service has not been planned.
He will be interned at the Oak Lawn Memorial Gardens in Olathe, KS. Donations are recommended for a community food bank.
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