Orland Henry "Mitt" Mittelberg

Orland Henry "Mitt" Mittelberg, 98, of St. Joseph, Michigan, passed away on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, at Woodland Terrace in St. Joseph.

Orland’s memorial service will be held at 2 pm, Saturday, November 22, 2025 at The Chapel, 4250 Washington Avenue, St. Joseph, Michigan, with Reverend Phil Bubar officiating. Friends may also come for the visitation at 1 pm at the church, prior to the service. The interment will be at St. Paul Osage Cemetery in Otoe County, in Cook, Nebraska. Memorial gifts may be given to Five Pines Ministries, where he often served. Online condolences can be posted at www.PikeFH.com.

Orland was born on April 16, 1927, in Cook, Nebraska, to the late Henry E. and Effa W. (Gregory) Mittelberg. He was the oldest of five siblings: Martha Lee “Martie” (Siebken) of Valley, Nebraska who survives him, and the late Ona Ann (Alm), Jeanette (Loos), and Kathleen (Tallent).

He graduated from high school in Lincoln, Nebraska and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the age of 17, serving from 1945 until 1947. During his time in the Navy, with the encouragement of his mother and his commanding officer, Orland put his trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior at age 19. This would change the trajectory of his life, as well as his eternity.

Orland later earned his degree in business from Wheaton College in Illinois. As he neared graduation in 1951, he met a nursing student named Virginia at a church fellowship group. She caught his eye and then captured his heart, and he and Ginny Hutchison were married on June 27, 1952 in Beckley, West Virginia. They chose a theme verse for their union: “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together” (Psalm 34:3 KJV). Their romance flourished through 67 years of faithful partnership.

“Mitt,” as he came to be known, worked in management at the J. C. Penney Company for 35 years, and over the decades he and Ginny lived in West Virginia, Ohio, Nebraska, and North Dakota, where they stayed for 46 years, all before coming to the Woodland Terrace retirement home in Bridgman and then St. Joseph, Michigan. They were members of The Chapel in St. Joseph. Ginny passed away in 2019 at the age of 90.

Mitt was known for his deep faith in Christ, his strong leadership abilities, and his loving service to family, friends, the churches he attended and the communities where he lived—not to mention his cunning card game-playing skills!

Mitt and Ginny are survived by their four children: Lisa (and Phil) Bubar of St. Joseph, Michigan; Kathy (and Jim) Postlethwaite of Calgary, Alberta; Mark (and Heidi) Mittelberg of Denver, Colorado; Gary (and Cassandra) Mittelberg of La Cañada, California, and also by their 14 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. They loved their family deeply and prayed for each member faithfully—wanting all of them to know the love and forgiveness of Jesus personally.

Arrangements are being handled by Pike Funeral & Cremation Services, The Boyd Chapel, 9191 Red Arrow Highway, Bridgman, MI 49106 (269-465-3239)