Orville Furreness

Orville Nelson Furreness, 94, a resident of Underwood, passed away Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at PioneerCare in Fergus Falls.

Orville was born on March 15, 1929 in Moorhead, MN, the son of John and Kathleen (Nelson) Furreness. He grew up in Underwood and attended Underwood grade school and graduated from Underwood High School in 1947. After high school he attended North Dakota Agricultural College (NDSU) and graduated in 1952 with a degree in Animal Science.

In February of 1954, Orville entered the United States Army and served his country in Dusseldorf, Germany as an Army Rifle Sharpshooter. He was honorably discharged in January of 1956. Upon his discharge from the military, Orville returned to the family farm, where he continued to operate the 3rd generation Weona dairy farm, with registered Jerseys. In 2004, he sold his cattle, remained on the property and operated a hobby farm until 2023.

On October 12, 1957, he married Gladys Hansen in Campbell. After their marriage, they moved to rural Underwood, working together on the family farm.

Orville was one of the original members of the (DHIA) Minnesota Dairy Herd Improvement Association. The DHIA keeps breeding records, a lifetime record of each individual cow, as well as a lactation record. He was recognized for having his cow’s milk “on test” for 50 consecutive years. The award covers consecutive years dating back to his father’s original herd. He was a member of National Farmers Organization, Underwood American Legion Post 489, Underwood Lions Club, and Sverdrup Lutheran Church in Underwood. Orville enjoyed gardening, playing town team baseball, basketball with the Apaches, fixing his farm equipment and tinkering on his old tractors, reading, and was an Underwood High School sports fan.

Orville had a wonderful sense of humor and was known for his kind heartedness.

Preceding him in death were his parents; wife, Gladys and sister, Joyce (Leslie) Furreness Kolstad.

Survivors include his children, Beth (Neil) Chell of Apple Valley, Ione Furreness of Inver Grove Heights and Jon Furreness of Kenosha, WI; grandchildren, Carly Chell of Apple Valley, Cody Chell of Apple Valley, Jasmine Chapman of Inver Grove Heights and Mary Furreness of Whitewater, WI.

Memorial Service: 11:00 a.m. Friday, June 16, 2023 at Sverdrup Lutheran Church, Underwood, with visitation one- hour prior to the service at the church.
Clergy: Pastor Tammy Jacobson
Military Participation: Underwood American Legion Post 489

Arrangements are provided by the Olson Funeral Home in Fergus Falls
Online condolences may be sent to www.OlsonFuneralHome.com