Long time Orland resident Russell Fillmore Caldwell, succumbed November 25, 2003 following a period of generally declining health and a brief final illness. For the past several months, he had been making his home with his daughter and son-in-law, Carol and Ben Jimenez in Oroville. Russell was born as the third of three children to Roscoe and Gertie Caldwell in the hamlet of Glenn on June 18, 1918, and received his middle name in honor of his uncle Millard Fillmore Caldwell, a late 1940's governor of Florida. He received his early schooling in the Glenn area and graduated from Hamilton City High School with the class of 1936.
Early employment included a fuel and gasoline delivery route between Yreka and Happy Camp. Following marriage in 1940 to his high school sweetheart, Frances Wilson of Orland the young couple lived in Shasta while Russell owned and operated a service station in Redding. As was common for his generation, civilian life was soon put on hold while he served in the U.S. Army during WWII. On D-day he lost all his equipment and barely escaped with his life when his boat was sunk storming the beaches at Normandy on June 6, 1944. He garnered replacement equipment and served in France and Belguim including the battle of the bulge until the war ended in May 1945. After being discharged from his army artilley duties in the rank of sergeant he returned to Orland.
Following a brief period of residence in what was commonly known at the times as Orland GI housing he and Frances bought a home on Third Street in Orland where they have lived ever since. Post war, Russell worked briefly in construction and maintenance jobs and was for a time a ditch rider with the local water district. He also worked as a route driver for a local petroleum distributor and once again owned and operated his own service station, this time in Chico. He trained for a time with an Orland meat market to become a butcher but now having tasted a number of occupations, decided law enforcement was more to his liking and became a deputy sheriff. Sheriff Ben Kranig once credited Caldwell with solving cases by virtue of sheer persistence. He didn't give up. Then while serving as Captain in charge of the sheriff's Orland sub-station he was forced into early retirement by a heart attack. He was a member of Orland Odd Fellows Lodge for many years and served as a member of the Orland doctor committee working to obtain appropriate medical staff for the Orland area. He was a long time member of the Orland Volunteer Fire Department and for varying periods he belonged to the Chico Elks and the American Legion.
In most recent years, he became a real estate agent and worked locally in that capacity for a number of years. He also acquired rental houses and served as landlord to a number of Orland people over a period of several years.
Russell is survived by his wife Frances who currently resides in a Chico nursing home; a daughter, Carol Jimenez of Oroville; two grandchildren, one of whom, following in grandpa's footsteps is a deputy sheriff in Placer County; five great-grandchildren.
Published in the Chico Enterprise-Record (Chico, CA) on Thursday, November 27, 2003
Early employment included a fuel and gasoline delivery route between Yreka and Happy Camp. Following marriage in 1940 to his high school sweetheart, Frances Wilson of Orland the young couple lived in Shasta while Russell owned and operated a service station in Redding. As was common for his generation, civilian life was soon put on hold while he served in the U.S. Army during WWII. On D-day he lost all his equipment and barely escaped with his life when his boat was sunk storming the beaches at Normandy on June 6, 1944. He garnered replacement equipment and served in France and Belguim including the battle of the bulge until the war ended in May 1945. After being discharged from his army artilley duties in the rank of sergeant he returned to Orland.
Following a brief period of residence in what was commonly known at the times as Orland GI housing he and Frances bought a home on Third Street in Orland where they have lived ever since. Post war, Russell worked briefly in construction and maintenance jobs and was for a time a ditch rider with the local water district. He also worked as a route driver for a local petroleum distributor and once again owned and operated his own service station, this time in Chico. He trained for a time with an Orland meat market to become a butcher but now having tasted a number of occupations, decided law enforcement was more to his liking and became a deputy sheriff. Sheriff Ben Kranig once credited Caldwell with solving cases by virtue of sheer persistence. He didn't give up. Then while serving as Captain in charge of the sheriff's Orland sub-station he was forced into early retirement by a heart attack. He was a member of Orland Odd Fellows Lodge for many years and served as a member of the Orland doctor committee working to obtain appropriate medical staff for the Orland area. He was a long time member of the Orland Volunteer Fire Department and for varying periods he belonged to the Chico Elks and the American Legion.
In most recent years, he became a real estate agent and worked locally in that capacity for a number of years. He also acquired rental houses and served as landlord to a number of Orland people over a period of several years.
Russell is survived by his wife Frances who currently resides in a Chico nursing home; a daughter, Carol Jimenez of Oroville; two grandchildren, one of whom, following in grandpa's footsteps is a deputy sheriff in Placer County; five great-grandchildren.
Published in the Chico Enterprise-Record (Chico, CA) on Thursday, November 27, 2003
Long time Orland resident Russell Fillmore Caldwell, succumbed November 25, 2003 following a period of generally declining health and a brief final illness. For the past several months, he had been making his home with his daughter and son-in-law, Carol and Ben Jimenez in Oroville. Russell was born as the third of three children to Roscoe and Gertie Caldwell in the hamlet of Glenn on June 18, 1918, and received his middle name in honor of his uncle Millard Fillmore Caldwell, a late 1940's governor of Florida. He received his early schooling in the Glenn area and graduated from Hamilton City High School with the class of 1936.
Early employment included a fuel and gasoline delivery route between Yreka and Happy Camp. Following marriage in 1940 to his high school sweetheart, Frances Wilson of Orland the young couple lived in Shasta while Russell owned and operated a service station in Redding. As was common for his generation, civilian life was soon put on hold while he served in the U.S. Army during WWII. On D-day he lost all his equipment and barely escaped with his life when his boat was sunk storming the beaches at Normandy on June 6, 1944. He garnered replacement equipment and served in France and Belguim including the battle of the bulge until the war ended in May 1945. After being discharged from his army artilley duties in the rank of sergeant he returned to Orland.
Following a brief period of residence in what was commonly known at the times as Orland GI housing he and Frances bought a home on Third Street in Orland where they have lived ever since. Post war, Russell worked briefly in construction and maintenance jobs and was for a time a ditch rider with the local water district. He also worked as a route driver for a local petroleum distributor and once again owned and operated his own service station, this time in Chico. He trained for a time with an Orland meat market to become a butcher but now having tasted a number of occupations, decided law enforcement was more to his liking and became a deputy sheriff. Sheriff Ben Kranig once credited Caldwell with solving cases by virtue of sheer persistence. He didn't give up. Then while serving as Captain in charge of the sheriff's Orland sub-station he was forced into early retirement by a heart attack. He was a member of Orland Odd Fellows Lodge for many years and served as a member of the Orland doctor committee working to obtain appropriate medical staff for the Orland area. He was a long time member of the Orland Volunteer Fire Department and for varying periods he belonged to the Chico Elks and the American Legion.
In most recent years, he became a real estate agent and worked locally in that capacity for a number of years. He also acquired rental houses and served as landlord to a number of Orland people over a period of several years.
Russell is survived by his wife Frances who currently resides in a Chico nursing home; a daughter, Carol Jimenez of Oroville; two grandchildren, one of whom, following in grandpa's footsteps is a deputy sheriff in Placer County; five great-grandchildren.
Published in the Chico Enterprise-Record (Chico, CA) on Thursday, November 27, 2003
Early employment included a fuel and gasoline delivery route between Yreka and Happy Camp. Following marriage in 1940 to his high school sweetheart, Frances Wilson of Orland the young couple lived in Shasta while Russell owned and operated a service station in Redding. As was common for his generation, civilian life was soon put on hold while he served in the U.S. Army during WWII. On D-day he lost all his equipment and barely escaped with his life when his boat was sunk storming the beaches at Normandy on June 6, 1944. He garnered replacement equipment and served in France and Belguim including the battle of the bulge until the war ended in May 1945. After being discharged from his army artilley duties in the rank of sergeant he returned to Orland.
Following a brief period of residence in what was commonly known at the times as Orland GI housing he and Frances bought a home on Third Street in Orland where they have lived ever since. Post war, Russell worked briefly in construction and maintenance jobs and was for a time a ditch rider with the local water district. He also worked as a route driver for a local petroleum distributor and once again owned and operated his own service station, this time in Chico. He trained for a time with an Orland meat market to become a butcher but now having tasted a number of occupations, decided law enforcement was more to his liking and became a deputy sheriff. Sheriff Ben Kranig once credited Caldwell with solving cases by virtue of sheer persistence. He didn't give up. Then while serving as Captain in charge of the sheriff's Orland sub-station he was forced into early retirement by a heart attack. He was a member of Orland Odd Fellows Lodge for many years and served as a member of the Orland doctor committee working to obtain appropriate medical staff for the Orland area. He was a long time member of the Orland Volunteer Fire Department and for varying periods he belonged to the Chico Elks and the American Legion.
In most recent years, he became a real estate agent and worked locally in that capacity for a number of years. He also acquired rental houses and served as landlord to a number of Orland people over a period of several years.
Russell is survived by his wife Frances who currently resides in a Chico nursing home; a daughter, Carol Jimenez of Oroville; two grandchildren, one of whom, following in grandpa's footsteps is a deputy sheriff in Placer County; five great-grandchildren.
Published in the Chico Enterprise-Record (Chico, CA) on Thursday, November 27, 2003
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