By Lisa Baumgartner, granddaughter of Orella Holloway Chadwick
Orella Holloway Chadwick was famous for doing things her way. On Christmas Eve 2023, the 104-year-old Tillamook resident died the way she lived—exactly how she wanted to, passing away peacefully in her own bed, surrounded by the ones she loved.
Born Carrie Orella Holloway on April 25, 1919, Orella was the oldest of seven children. Her earliest memories involved the Great Depression and listening to her parents argue over what to pack as they prepared to leave the family farm—her mother wanted to take more food, her father more guns. Ultimately, the family drove from New Mexico to Oregon with $100 in cash, camping along the way.
They settled in Imbler where Orella graduated from high school, then earned a teaching degree from Eastern Oregon College. At 19, she married Everett Holmes and had her first child, Gary Lynn Holmes.
When that marriage ended during WW II, a strong-willed and fiercely independent Orella purchased a local grocery store to support herself and her son. That led to buying a roller-skating rink she converted into a dance hall. And she finally met her match in returning soldier, Lynn Virgil Chadwick. He initially attracted Orella with his smooth dance moves, then dazzled her with his dishwashing skills. Virgil and Orella married in 1949, and had three daughters, Tilda, Diana, and Virgie.
In the early ‘50’s, the family of six moved to a dairy farm in Tillamook, Oregon and Orella returned to teaching, spending 15 years in the Tillamook School District.
A believer in the importance of giving to others (and famous for saying she’d sleep when she was dead), Orella threw herself into community service. Her activities included Secretary of the Farm Bureau, co-chair of the June Dairy Parade, leader of the Camp Fire Girls and volunteer at the Tillamook Methodist Church. Ultimately, Orella was awarded Citizen of the Year from the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce in recognition of her decades of work on behalf of the community.
By the ‘70s, Orella’s four children had started families of their own, and Orella took on the role she’s still best known for today—grandmother to nine living grandchildren, seven great grandchildren and one great great grandchild. As Grandma O, she was famous for banning TV (the boob tube) while sharing her love of reading by enrolling visiting grandkids in the local library’s summer programs.
An avid traveler, she also started a summer tradition of taking the grandkids on extensive RV trips, visiting national parks and U.S. landmarks. How she wedged enough frozen casseroles into one RV to feed a party of ten for two weeks remains a mystery to this day.
For the grandchildren, Grandma O was a model of determination—she once stopped an entire Amtrak train on demand. She was notorious for her devilish sense of humor—when asked by her great granddaughter what she was doing, she answered “all of them once, and the good ones twice.” She taught the importance of family, keeping everyone connected even as the grandchildren scattered across the globe. She also made the world’s best cinnamon rolls and could beat nearly anyone at cards.
In 1999 Virgil passed away after 50 years of marriage. And in 2019, Orella celebrated her 100th birthday with all of her children and grandchildren in attendance. It was the last time everyone was together.
In the course of her 104-year life, Orella outlived two husbands, all of her siblings, countless friends and even her youngest daughter. A devout Methodist, she spent her final few years looking forward to seeing them again in Heaven. We have no doubt there was quite a party when she arrived.
Funeral services for Orella are January 13, 2024, 3:30 pm at the Tillamook Methodist Church. Please join us in celebrating a remarkable woman and her amazing life.