Funeral services with military honors, for Oren Saxton of Crawford, Nebraska will be held on Saturday, January 5, 2012 at 1:00 PM at the Crawford Community Building with Pastor Bill Bagley officiating. Burial will be at the Whitney Cemetery.
Oren A Saxton went home to meet his heavenly father on December 27th, 2012. Oren Alva Saxton, was born to Lewis and Alice Tally Saxton, January 29th, 1939 at their home just south of Crawford, Nebraska. He loved to play outside and climb all over the hills. He went to a rural school about one quarter mile from his house. He went one year to Crawford High School before his father sold their family farm and moved to Fort Morgan, Colorado. Oren never liked “City Life”. On April 1st 1957, He joined the United States Air Force. He proudly served his country until 1961 and was honorably discharged. Upon his release from active duty, his family had moved to Redondo Beach, California, so he followed them there. Then he married Sheila Cawthorne of Charleston, South Carolina in December 1961. To this union was born one daughter Yvonne. Oren enjoyed racing sprint cars, actually, he really enjoyed going fast in anything. He loved mining for gold on his mining claim in California. He worked for Ablestick, a glue manufacturing company. While there he built walk in coolers for them. He also built many of the tools they needed that could not be bought; he was quite an innovator in that way. His boss was so impressed that he promoted him, with no education beyond high school, to an engineer because of his talents. From there he decided to take the big plunge and go to work for himself…thereby insuring he would win all future arguments. He did electrical work for a time, but truck driving soon became a passion that he would utilize in his growing business hauling all kinds of loads from lumber to cars. He loved the hard, challenging jobs that others didn’t like to do. Because of his tenacious drive and common sense approach to things, he was very successful where others would fail. He bought a ranch and settled his home site halfway between Crawford and Harrison in Sioux County, Nebraska.
He met Karyl Riggs at the Cowpoke Kitchen, a place he frequented a lot. They were married March 10th, 1990. He then began logging for a living. He logged his ranch responsibly and soon began logging for others. He loved to work outside, and yes he discovered that the big toys were much more fun. Skidders, Tractors, ditchers, Bulldozers, and even a boring machine (pardon the pun) for drilling under highways without having to break pavement. His next endeavor was to begin hauling meat over the road to California and bringing produce back to Nebraska. Oren truly loved tractor pulls, he has several old tractors that he used for pulls. He also had several old cars. His last project was building a model T truck from scratch, and yes, he got it running.
In 2006, Oren lent his support to a traveling Gospel Group called Desert Reign. He donated one of his trailers to them and between RC, Sam, Tim, Oren and some others from Pueblo; they converted the trailer into a portable, enclosed, concert stage.
He and Karyl then went on the road for the lord pulling that trailer wherever Desert Reign and God would want. They dearly loved seeing so many lives changed and were humbly honored to be of service to God. Oren loved meeting and visiting with people wherever he went. Another pleasure of his was discovering all the good cooks that attended those services! Oren truly never met a stranger. Because of his love of music, he discovered he had found himself the “Perfect” job in ministry.
Oren developed severe back pain recently, while visiting with Steve and Alice Fosdick in Kermit, Texas, he had tests done to determine what was wrong. He was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, Cancer of the spine. Oren upon receiving the news of his cancer responded as he had lived, accepting the challenge positively by saying “It’s a good thing I serve an awesome God”. Because of the nature of his cancer, and the availability of excellent cancer facilities in Lubbock Texas, Steve and Alice transported Oren to Lubbock. He and Karyl were lovingly welcomed into the home of a family of angels, Darlene Perdue, her daughter Gina Kay, and granddaughter Destiney, where they received excellent care and compassion as they took on the battle at hand. Oren found that God was still with him always, as he had the best doctors and care possible at the Cancer Facility of Covenant Hospital System. He remained faithful and upbeat, displaying an uncommon grace and gratitude throughout his battle with cancer.
Oren was preceded in death by his parents, Lewis and Alice Saxton, his wife Sheila, his brothers Glen and Melvin, his sisters, Thelma Phillips and Maxine Conant, his sister in law, Anita, brothers in law, Wayne Conant, Roy Phillips, and Charles Hand, daughter, Serita Riggs, nephews, Garland Phillips and Gene Saxton, and his mother in law, Mabel Kendrick. He is survived by the love of his life, his wife Karyl Saxton, his daughters, Yvonne Reagers, Kim Rudloff and husband Gary, his sons, Rusty Riggs and wife Lori, Ty Riggs, and Greg Elwood, his Sister, Ida Hand, and his brother Harold Saxton and wife Elaine. Also, nineteen grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, a host of nieces and nephews, many friends all over the country, his brothers in Christ, R.C. Reynolds and Steve Fosdick, and his cat Charlie.
Funeral arrangements entrusted to Acres West Funeral Services, Odessa, Texas, and Chamberlain Chapel of Crawford, Nebraska.
Online condolences can be made at www.chamberlainchapel.com