Orville LeGrande Eliason

Orville LeGrande Eliason

1929 ~ 2011

"A most honorable man and friend" (former colleagues, National Security Agency).

Orville LeGrande Eliason passed away peacefully at home on September 2, 2011, from the effects of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

LeGrande was born in Nibley, Utah, on May 7, 1929, the first of six sons of Orville Lavar and Zelda Morgan Eliason. Between those bookend facts shines the central theme of his life: love for God and all of God's children, manifest abundantly in daily acts of kindness and genuine concern for others. His intense interest in learning foreign languages, for example, underscored a lifelong desire to communicate meaningfully with individuals he met in sojourns abroad as well as at the local market.
Ever a disciple of Jesus Christ, he carried in his car copies of the Book of Mormon in at least a dozen languages and found some of his most fruitful missionary opportunities within blocks of his home in Orem. He regarded the stranger with the same respect accorded a head of state. His final words were "thank you."

Sweetheart and life companion, Marguerite ("Peggy"), emerged as the greatest blessing from LeGrande's full-time missionary service in post-war Japan. Daughters Susan Chieko and Carol Emiko subsequently served as missionaries in the Tokyo South and Tokyo North Missions, respectively, literally walking in the footsteps of their parents among beloved Japanese friends.

LeGrande studied at Utah State University, Yale University, and the University of Southern California, earning undergraduate and master's degrees and eventually a doctoral degree from Brigham Young University.
As an Air Force officer, university professor and administrator, and entrepreneur, LeGrande applied his talents generously around the world. Accompanied by his family, he fulfilled professional and church assignments in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines, and every corner of the United States. One of his most satisfying contributions was helping to launch the China Folk Culture Village in Shenzhen, China.

He is survived by Peggy, Susan, and Carol; grandchildren Angela (Rober to) , Joseph (Kather ine) , and Mar iana; great-granddaughters Luella and Gwendolyn; sisters-in-law Mary (Darrell, deceased) and Annette (Lynn, deceased one week before LeGrande) ; brothers Alan (Barbara), Gordon (Karine), and Dean (Montana); and brothers-in law Armand (Ruth) Mauss and Gordon (Barbara) Mauss.
Following a family gathering and prayer at home, friends are invited to join in services to be held on Wednesday, September 7, at 12 noon at the Orem City Cemetery.