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Oren Allen Feltenberger, 84 year old former resident of Woodward, OK was born on October 13, 1931 and passed from this life on March 3, 2016.
He was preceded in death by his parents E.H. and Beatrice Feltenberger, son-in-law Darrell Tibbett, brother-in-law Elvin Lucas and nephew Rodney Lucas.
Friends close to the family have expressed their sympathies about Oren’s health late in his life, saying how hard it was for them when their parents had to spend months in the hospital or how their parents went through something similar. With his passing, the family has realized that we are grateful to have spent so much time with him during this last chapter of his life. When he was having good days, he and members of the family would spend time talking about everything they could, as if they were making up for lost time.
When someone you love passes away, there is a strong temptation to remember them, perhaps a little too well. Misdeeds are forgotten. Offenses are forgiven. Only the most shining characteristics of our loved ones stand out. These are the traits that make the version that is left when they depart. We all knew Oren, and all have our stories, but one characteristic that cannot be forgotten is how much he loved his family. This is evident by the tight-knit family he left behind. A wife, two daughters, two son-in-laws, three grandchildren and their spouses, and four great-grandchildren, all who loved him very much. The family he leaves behind will be a reminder of his legacy, while he watches over them in heaven, as he did in life.
During the later years, when the family would visit, they would ask about the years he served in the United States Navy. He served from 1951 to 1955, which was during the Korean War. He operated as a diesel mechanic on an amphibious landing craft. He could paint quite a picture, as he told his stories. His family could almost smell the gun powder, and hear the sound of the bullets as they would hit the beach. He would always say he could still hear the officers telling their men to get off that boat.
Oren returned to Oklahoma and married his sweetheart, Alveta McCracken, on June 4th, 1955. He then devoted his time to his family and building a career as a diesel mechanic. His career started when he attended Oklahoma A&M (now known as Oklahoma State University in Okmulgee). After Graduation he spent the years from 1958 to 1973 in Oklahoma City. It was during this time that he and Alveta had their first child, Karen Gayle, on August 11, 1961. Soon after that in 1962, they welcomed Cheryl Diane to their family.
After moving to Woodward, he started Oren’s Heavy Equipment and Radiator Services. Through his hard work and determination, his business became a very successful and respected operation. Because of Oren, it was able to provide a happy and full life for his family. This allowed him the opportunity to raise cattle, a passion that had stayed with him from his childhood. He learned about cattle and the land from his father, and ranched on the same land he had known all his life. He felt great pride that he was carrying on something that was passed down to him. It was something he felt he needed to do for his children and grandchildren. With time, he would grow his cattle operation at Kyser Creek Ranch and acquire additional land to the homestead. From the smell in the air you could always tell his boundary lines, it was where the cedar started and stopped. He spent countless hours on a dozer clearing his land to make way for the tall native grasses that allowed his cattle to grow fat and happy. The grandkids, he jokingly referred to as “spoiled-rotten”, also joked that he treated his cattle nearly as well as he treated them….but in truth this was just another testimony to his strong principals as a truly giving, hard-working, proud, loving, and generous man.
Oren always had stories from his early childhood often pertaining to the land where he was raised. One of his stories the grandchildren recall was about how he purchased the land he crossed to get to the school he attended as a young boy. He would take them to where the base of the schoolhouse still stands, and show them where he sat in the classroom. In 1945 Oren became a Vici Indian. He was an excellent athlete, playing shortstop and pitcher on the baseball team, and was good enough to play varsity basketball as a freshman.
As for his family, especially the grandchildren and even the eldest
great-grandchild, we will fondly reminiscence of the hours spent traveling
across the ranch, stopping to open gates, counting cows, feeding cows,
taking in various wildlife, recounting the cows, and perhaps even getting to
drive. These were the fun-times we had with this amazing man. And at the end
of the day, our grandfather instilled in us:
• To take pride in our work
• To do it right the first time
• Nothing worth having comes easy
When it comes down to it, it is impossible for us to cover all 84 years’ worth of stories and experiences that Oren had to share. But the most important thing we can share is that his was a long life full of adventure, family, and happiness.
Visitation:
Friday 9-5
Saturday 9-7
Funeral Service
Sunday, March 06, 2016
3:00 PM
General Assembly
and Church of the Firstborn
6 miles east of Vici, OK on Hwy 51
Vici,
Oklahoma 73859
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