19-05-2025
107-year-old Iowan receives his high school diploma
LAKE VIEW, Iowa (KCAU) – Many students across the U.S. moved their tassels to the left today, signifying the end of high school for them.
However, not everyone gets to graduate right away. As a more than 100-year-old Iowan got his diploma in Sac County, after not being able to attend high school when he was younger.
It's not every day someone graduates from high school at the age of 107.
Orville was born in 1917 and had a rough start to life when his mother passed away at the age of 8 weeks old.
And when Orville had just graduated from 8th grade, it was in the middle of the Great Depression.
'My dad kept me home to help him on the farm. My half brother, yeah I have a half brother, along behind me he was big enough now so he could handle what I was doing. So I went and got me a job and worked on another farm,' said Orville Von Ehwegen, a 107 year-old graduate.
Not long after Orville served his country in WWII from 1942 to 1945. Eventually he made it back to the states working at a furniture store in Sac City, marrying his wife Ruth and having his daughter Patrica.
Orville never went back to school.
'I missed it, I missed it, but I got my education the hard way,' said Von Ehwegen.
Orville figured he'd never get his diploma, but it wasn't until the East Sac County Community School District reached out to him with the idea to give him one.
'Then here come on telephone. Hello? Yeah. What? You wanna have me. Well, where at? I can't believe what he was telling me,' said Von Ehwegen.
Orville was stunned to receive his diploma, but still wishes he could have gotten in when he was younger.
'It's a wonderful thing to graduate. It's a wonderful thing to learn and be able to do things and you don't have to go through, you might say a school of hard knocks,' said Von Ehwegen.
As the class of 2025 walks into the next chapter of their life, after living till the age of 107, Orville shared a bit of wisdom with the East Sac class.
'Be kind, have a smile. Don't hurt to put your arms around give em a hug. It's wonderful,' said Von Ehwegen.
Orvell said his secret to a long life is to praise God every day.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
