Orvid Harju

April 21st, 1924 - April 7th, 2021

Orvid 's Memory Wall

We encourage you to share your most beloved memories of Orvid here, so that the family and other loved ones can always see it. Share your favorite stories or comment on those shared by others.

We were so saddened to hear of your Dad's passing. Both of us remember him from our days at SJPS. We were at the U of M game when your Dad was honored on the field. What an experience that must have been for him and an honor well deserved. Knowing how humble he was, but how huge of a Michigan fan he was too, it had to be an experience that he couldn't pass up. Our condolences go out to your entire family. God bless you all!

Michael Peirce & Amy Porritt-Peirce

April 11th, 2021 at 10:47pm

I had Mr. Harju for Mechanical Drawing in High School, and remember him as kind, patient, and devoted to doing everything he could to help students to understand and succeed. He was totally comfortable in having normal and caring conversations with myself and other students. There were, unfortunately and as always, some students whose nastiness, apparently thinking they were clever, caused them to take advantage of him. But he never wavered, and his calm composure was the foundation that allowed his willingness to assist and support his students to win out. He was a good man.

Michael Ahrens

April 10th, 2021 at 11:43am

I give my condolences to the Harju family. When I was a kid at Saron Lutheran, Mr. Harju was one of the few adults who would engage me in conversation before or after services. He would start with a comment or question in Finnish, smiling knowingly that my Finnish vocabulary contained about six words, none of which were contained in his remark. He would then quickly let me off the hook by translating his words into English. None of his Finnish language attempts stuck with me; but my memories of Mr. Harju are all happy ones. He was thoughtfully kind to me and my family.