Obituary: Orion McElroy

Orion McElroy

Orion McElroy

On the evening of May 2, 2015, our beloved brother, father, husband, coworker and snake'spert, Orion McElroy was felled unexpectedly at home in Wilhoit, Arizona of cardiac arrest. Despite CPR by his wife and transport to hospital, he was pronounced dead and family began to gather in his home to comfort one another and to celebrate his life.

Known as "Tiny" by his loving family until he was big enough at age six to insist on our using his birth name, Orion was born March 23, 1955 in Elko, Nevada to father A.L. "Pat" McElroy and mother Catherine F. McElroy (Baker). He had a sister 10 years his elder, Cassandra Thomas, and a second five year old sister, Kat McElroy, waiting for him when he came into the McElroy clan; they were joined a year later by his younger sister Maureen.

Raised in Lake Tahoe, California and Reno, Nevada, Orion early developed an eye for, and love of, all wild creatures. Grasshoppers, spiders, crawfish, lizards, chipmunks, snakes and the occasional "motta" were caught or live-trapped by him, frequently homesteading in his pockets or lunch sack, and often startling other family members who inadvertently stumbled across his animal companions. "Hey, Mom, don't open that jar on the sofa, okay?" was his advice during one hasty Saturday afternoon phone call from the old Granada Theatre in Reno, when Orion got to worrying about the pregnant black widow spider he'd left tucked into the cool dark between the cushions.

Orion loved baseball, playing sandlot as well as Little League. He lost his two front teeth as the result of catching one in the face in grade school which resulted in his having metal caps, earning him various nicknames in junior high including Tin Teeth and Metal Mouth. We were all so happy when the military replaced the metal with porcelain caps, restoring his famous Winning Smile. Orion played baseball well into adulthood and shared the love of this sport with his various nephews.

During his boyhood and teen years, Orion went on frequent field trips with his best buddy Ira LaRivers, joined by Verdi Elementary school cohorts, Joe Coli and Steve Hill. They were shepherded by Dr. Ira LaRivers, who used the boys as his field assistants, but also allowed them to roam freely, explore widely and develop strong relationships with the desert and mountain wildernesses around them. Their group was rounded out in their teen years, when Ira and Orion befriended Hans Koenig, a lifelong outdoorsman and animal lover himself, who also died unexpectedly in 2013. During Orion's late teens, he and his friends became involved in the snake trade. At one time, this lively crew earned pocket money milking and selling rattlesnake venom.

Orion's uncanny ability to see and then capture wild animals was legendary. The one time he was bit, it was by a baby rattler he had hand-raised in captivity. His gentle manner and snake Zen astounded everyone, sometimes even the snakes. This propensity developed into a lifelong passion for snakes that ultimately resulted in Orion's membership as a lifetime fellow and board member in the Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research. Despite having no formal education in the subject, Orion was an active and articulate member of online bulletin groups devoted to herpetology. Even a casual perusal of his input therein provides an immediate insight into the breadth of his knowledge and his great enthusiasm for sharing of that expertise. Through his good friend, Hans Koenig, he was utilized by the State of Arizona Department of Game and Fish to house and rehabilitate members of protected species caught illegally that came into state custody needing the kind of care only someone with his long experience could provide.

After graduating from Reno High School in 1973, Orion joined the United States Coast Guard in 1975. Upon completion of his basic training at USCG Training Center in Alameda, California, his initial duty station was based out of USCG Cutter Point Monroe, Freeport, Texas. There he patrolled the Gulf of Mexico. 1977 found him at the USCG Training Center in Yorktown, Virginia, and thence in 1978 to the USCG Station - Chetco River, Harbor, Oregon. His specialty was as a fireman and after initially failing to qualify he persevered and was finally able to obtain training in diesel mechanics. He shared many wild adventures both on and off what he referred to as (among other things) The Big Water. Upon his honorable discharge in 1980, with the rank of Petty Officer Third Class, Orion declared that he had seen enough of the ocean and waves. He bought a blue Honda 750 motorcycle, touring around the west and southwest visiting friends returning finally on July 4 to his home in Reno, where he was welcomed by friends and family.

Orion obtained civilian employment as a heavy duty diesel mechanic, initially in the Anaconda molybdenum mine outside Tonopah, Nevada, where he was employed from 1981 through 1984. An intensely loving three year marriage to Vera Vigil was marred by substance use issues. Orion ultimately obtained treatment and sobriety. He made a daily practice of early morning study of AA literature. He said that his Higher Power was always to be found outdoors. He took enormous pleasure in the simple act of walking in the desert or high country, watching nature, observing plants, animals, the weather and the interplay of these across the landscape. An early hunter, Orion

eventually turned away from his guns, trading them for a camera and a hunting bow, which he felt was more sporting than a rifle.

In 1985, while working at a mining operation based in Idaho, Orion met the love of his life, Carmen Hunt McCrea, who became his wife and lifelong companion. They moved to Bagdad, Arizona in 1986, where he was to work for the next 29 years. Orion and Carmen settled into that little community and began to raise their family. Their relationship was characterized by the to-be-expected clashes of equally strong-willed people. Orion was never one to compromise a belief or value deeply held, yet in the third decade of their partnership he had come to admit that on some things, "She just wore me down." Though still not shy to examine their differences, they had developed an acceptance and love that comes only from many years of mutual accord.

Carmen brought two children into her marriage with Orion, a son Owen (wife Cindy and sons Chance and Crozier) and daughter Dusty (Mark Livingston). They were followed by son Devon (partner Kristine Omlor and daughter Samantha) and daughter Wendy. Orion was proud of all his children, and he spoke fondly of the times he spent with each of them, and their accomplishments, which brought him great joy. He liked nothing better than to share his love of Mother Nature with them and his fondest memories involve those times and events.

An adroit raconteur, Orion shared storytalk about the activities of his children with obvious affection. Carmen's work as an RN and Orion's erratic schedules at the mine demanded they develop a strong partnership to be able to

successfully parent their unruly brood, each of whom brought his or her own form of boisterous antics to the stew. Theirs was always a lively household, which did not change as the children matured in time and went on to have work, families and homes of their own. Already the doting grandfather of two grandsons, he was tickled pink two years ago when a new baby granddaughter came along.

Primarily a homebody, Orion was willing to venture away if the motivation was sufficient. He enjoyed fishing and was lured off to Alaska to go salmon and halibut fishing with his sisters. Herpetology Conferences drew him away also. He made semi-annual visits to Nevada and Oregon to visit the extended family. He had begun to examine the idea of maybe someday upon retirement having a second home in Oregon, to allow for more extended time with family there.

Orion will be sorely missed by his wife, children, grandchildren, siblings and huge extended family, co-workers and assorted "Herpers" world-wide. He will be particularly missed by his nieces and nephews to whom he had become like a father. He leaves behind a hole none of us will ever quite fill except for those brief moments when we step outside and hear a lark trill, recalling how this would please him, or pause and look heavenward on a dark night to see the three stars of Orion's bright belt rising across the black sky and remember him, Our Favorite Hunter.

A celebration of Orion's life will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, 2015, in Bagdad, Arizona.

Information provided by survivors.


Donate Report a Typo Contact
Most Read