ORVILLE TRANBY

ORVILLE D. TRANBY

Orville GlenDean Tranby, 87 of Cooperstown, North Dakota died September 24, 2026 at Bethany Homes in Fargo, North Dakota. He was born September 7, 1938 in Blabon, North Dakota to Edwin and Myrtle (Sund) Tranby. He attended school in Blabon through 8th grade and graduated from Hope High School. In 1960 he graduated from North Dakota State University in Fargo with a B.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was enrolled in the ROTC program and received commission as a Second Lieutenant.

He married Beverly Olson of Cooperstown on June 25, 1960 at Ness Lutheran Church. They moved to Joliet, Illinois for a year where he was employed with the Commonwealth Edison Company. There he was involved with the start up of the Dresden Nuclear Power Station.

Orville then took a two year leave of absence to fulfill his military obligation. He spent six weeks of training in El Paso, Texas, then was assigned to New Richmond, Wisconsin. Afterwards, Orville returned to work for the Commonwealth Edison Company where he was employed for the next ten years. He worked at several large power plants in Springfield, Illinois and at a nuclear power plant in Zion, Illinois. He spent many years with the development of wind power in eastern North Dakota.

In 1973, Orville, Beverly and their two young sons, returned to Cooperstown to farm Beverly’s family farmland. Years later, he retired from farming to pursue a realtor license and worked as a realtor in Fargo and Cooperstown, ND.

While residing in Cooperstown, Orville was active in many organizations: Church Council, Griggs County Commissioner, Griggs County water board, Empowerment Zone, Library Board, Griggs County Museum and Straw Board.

Orville enjoyed reading non-fiction, especially historical non-fiction and biographies. He had a passion for painting a variety of subjects using many different techniques: oil, watercolor, pencil and charcoal. He was an avid NDSU Women’s basketball fan. He had a sweet tooth and was not one to turn down dessert, especially: fudge and pies: lemon meringue, coconut cream, rhubarb and raisin, to name a few. During the holidays, Beverly was not always successful in hiding treats from Orville, discovering her depleted supply when serving for their visiting grandsons and other holiday guests.

Orville is survived by his sons Scott (Cooperstown) and Wade (Sandra) (Apple Valley, MN), grandsons Wyatt and Jack, brother Gary (Lincoln City, Oregon) and many nieces and nephews.

Orville was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Beverly, grandson Jonathan W. Tranby (Apple Valley, MN) and his three brothers, Dwayne E. Tranby (Tioga, ND), Mardell V. Tranby (The Villages, FL) and Erling D. Tranby (Ventura, CA).

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be directed to: Ness Cemetery Association, Cooperstown Library or Griggs County Museum.

A Memorial Service will be Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at 2:00 pm in the Trinity Lutheran Church in Cooperstown, ND, visitation will be one hour before.