MILITARY HERO OKEY EDGELL PASSES AWAY
OKEY WITH HIS NUMEROUS MILITARY MEDALS
War
hero Okey Edgell passes away
Okla Elmer
“Okey” Edgell, Class of 1944, passed away. He had been married to Arlene
Marteney Edgell, Class of 1951, since August 5, 2006.
Calling at Domico Funeral Home, 414 Gaston Avenue in
Fairmont, are 2-8 p.m. Tuesday, October 24. The funeral at the funeral home will
be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Burial will follow at the West Virginia National
Cemetery in Grafton.
I enjoyed
many reunions with Okey and Arlene, in Florida at the Sarasota home of Bill
Meredith, Class of 1957, and his wife Roleta, a Clarksburg Washington Irving High graduate who
helps other WI grads keep track of each other, just as I do with my Monongah
High Lions blog (jo4wvu1954.blogspot.com). Roleta also arranges WI reunions,
much like Bill and Roleta do MHS reunions.
Okey
was born in Worthington.
Astoundingly,
when General Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered his 446th Bomb Group to be
the first to fly over France on D-Day and his plane was shot down over Holland
in 1945, Okey survived the crash.
And
survived a Prisoner of War Camp until his V-Day 1945 liberation!!!
He had
SEVEN military medals to show for it all!!
And
came home to roam West Virginia, Washington and Arizona till Okey and Arlene
settled in their beloved West Virginia for the rest of his life.
They have toured all 50 states and 12 foreign countries, took
3 ocean cruises and a riverboat cruise on the Mississippi River.
Okey’s
obituary:
Okla Elmer Edgell "Okey" passed away peacefully on
October 22, 2023, with his wife Arlene holding his hand.
He is the son of the late Ray and Lucy Cain Edgell. He was
born in Worthington, WV on October 25, 1925, and was looking forward to his
98th birthday.
Okey was a graduate of Monongah High School,
Class of 1944.
He entered the Army Air Corps in September 1943. He served
with the 446th Bomb Group in the European Theater. This group was chosen by
Eisenhower to lead the bombers into Normandy on D-Day. He was a tail gunner on
a B24 Bomber and his plane was shot down by the Germans over Barendrecht,
Holland in 1945. He was held in the Aalsmeer POW Camp until liberated on V-Day
1945. He was the last surviving member of his crew. He was awarded the European-African-Middle
Eastern Medal with 2 Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart, the American Theater
Medal, the Victory Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, and the Air Medal.
Okey graduated from Coyne Electrical School in
Chicago and worked as a foreman for West Virginia Electric in Fairmont for 10
years.
He then moved out West, where he retired from Bonnieville
Power in the State of Washington. He spent his retirement years in both
Washington and Arizona and finally settled in his home state of West Virginia.
Preceding him in death were his first wife,
Patricia Saurborn Edgell, and his second wife, Virginia Allison Hampton Edgell.
Also preceding him in death were his two brothers, James
Edgell and Doak Edgell; his two sisters, Lillieray Hall, and Janette Lane;
three nephews, Steven Edgell, Ralph Hall, and Gary Edgell; a sister-in-law,
Jean Edgell; and a brother-in-law, Ralph Hall, Sr.
He is survived by his wife, Arlene Marteney
Decker Edgell; two daughters, Lois Edgell (Dennis), and Cynthia Verno; a
step-daughter, Susan Brown; three step-sons, David Hampton (Lessa), William
Decker (Angela), and James Decker (Karen); four grandchildren, Shawn Hugus,
Keri Rutherford, Jaime Backman, and Amber Berkovich; seven step-grandchildren,
Chris Decker (Stephanie), Brittany Paige (Charles), Jon Decker, Courtney Sites
(Brian), Patrick Brown (Val), Haley Decker, and Aaron Decker; ten great
grandchildren; six step-great grandchildren; and nine great great
grandchildren.
Okey was a member of the Bridgeport United
Methodist Church, Barbed-Wire Mountaineer #1 EX-Prisoners of War, West Virginia
EX-Prisoners of War, and a Life Member of the National EX-Prisoners of War. He
was a Life Member of the Taylor County ARSE and the West Virginia ARSE. He was
a member of the Anmoore Chapter CEOS, the Harrison County CEOS, and the West
Virginia CEOS. He was a Life Member of the DAV and a Life Member of the Senior
Softball Associating. He was a member of the IBEW and a member of Chapter 724,
Order of Purple Hearts. He served as a State Commander of the West Virginia
EX-POWs.
He played softball on the Senior Softball League
in Sun City, Arizona, and the National Tournament Team. He holds two World
Series Rings and six World Championships.
He married his wife, Arlene in 2006. Together,
they have toured all 50 states and twelve foreign countries. They took three
ocean cruises and one riverboat cruise on the Mississippi River.
He learned to quilt and sew during this marriage and left a
legacy of his work for his family and Arlene's family. He also learned basketry
and made baskets for his children. He and Arlene made a permanent move to
Fairmont after their marriage.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the
Permanent Fund of Bridgeport United Methodist Church, 251 Worthington Drive,
Bridgeport, WV 6330 or to your local cancer society.
The family will receive friends at Domico
Funeral Home, 414 Gaston Avenue in Fairmont, on Tuesday, October 24, 2023 from
2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. The funeral will be at the funeral home on Wednesday,
October 25, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow at the West Virginia
National Cemetery. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.domicofh.com
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