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Ohio native James Joseph (Jim) Orban passed away on November 12, 2025 at the age of 101. Born in Tiltonsville, Ohio, Jim was the son of Joseph and Mary (Kovach) Orban.
After graduating from Warren Consolidated High School in Tiltonsville, Jim moved with his family to Nowata, Oklahoma, where his father Joe worked for Peabody Coal Company. Jim was employed at Nowata Machine Works as a lathe operator. As a skilled worker, Jim could have stayed on the home front in World War II as an essential worker for the war effort. But he chose to enlist in the Army, and qualified to be a paratrooper in the 13th Airborne Division of the United States Army. Jim was a member of the 458th Parachute Field Artillery and was deployed to France in February 1945. He was discharged in February 1946.
After the war Jim returned to Nowata, where he worked at Williams Lumber Yard. He met Jacqueline Jo Roberson, and they married on May 24, 1949. Together Jim and Jackie raised a family of eleven children.
Jim had an inquiring mind, and his interests ranged far and wide - natural science, astronomy, birds, native plants of Oklahoma, gardening, antique collecting, history, and woodworking. Jim was known as "The Carpenter," and he had a reputation for his exceptional skills and work ethic. He worked as a carpenter through all kinds of weather as well as illness and injury to provide for his family, and he excelled at his work.
Jim was preceded in death by his parents, his beloved wife of 35 years, Jackie, his daughter Melinda Covey, granddaughter Jaime Orban, his sisters Rose and Violet, brother Bill, and son-in-law David Gramblin.
Jim is survived by his ten children and their spouses, an army of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and two great-great- grandchildren. Jim Orban will be greatly missed.