James Orban, 91, of Elgin, died Tuesday, Jan. 25, in his home. Mr. Orban, who was born in Budapest, Hungary, retired in the 1980s as a milk pasteurizer at the former Ludwig Dairy in Elgin after 30 years of service. Mr. Orban was previously a pasteurizer at the former Homes Dairy in Elgin for 18 years. Mr. Orban served in the Illinois National Guard in the 1930s. He also was a member and former trustee of St. Paul United Church of Christ in Elgin. With his late wife, Mary, Mr. Orban owned and operated Orban’s Grocery, a neighborhood store on Park Street, from 1941 to 1952. “While dad was working (at the dairy), mother ran the store,” said his daughter Muriel Wright. “He’d come home, take a nap and then run it in the evening. We lived upstairs. He was a strong, but gentle man.” Other survivors include a son, James; two other daughters, Audrey Mensching and Mary Jane Fletcher; a brother, Louis; 13 grandchildren; and 25 great-grandchildren. A visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Saturday in Wait Ross Allanson Elgin Funeral Chapel, 51 Center St., Elgin, followed by a service at 1 p.m. in St. Paul United Church of Christ, 220 Division St., Elgin.
