Orville Duane Launius

Duane Launius was born in Illinois on November, 28th 1955. He was a graphic artist and created both digital and physical art with oil paints and pen and ink. He died at 69 years old in Vancouver, Washington from liver cancer and multiple brain tumors after his cancer fully metastasized through his body and into his bones. He is survived by his daughter Amy, and her 3 children and grandson as well as his former step-daughter, Christina, and her two sons. He has 3 older sisters Bonna, Carol, and Greta and a younger brother Dane; 7 nephews and nieces spread out between California to Indiana. On March 25th he was buried with honors next to his son at Evergreen Memorial Gardens in Vancouver, Washington and given a private flag ceremony for his service to his country. He was a SSGT, E5 in the US Air Force. As a young father he served 6 years in the United States Air Force. He was an electrical systems repairman where he travelled to the Philippines. All of those who knew Duane, knew of his incredible eye for detail and ability to capture an exacting sense of reality. He was heavily influenced by the artistic styles of M.C. Echer and Salvador Dali. He left his artistic touches everywhere he went. His preferred mediums included oil, pen & ink, and pencilled sketches. Usually signed O. D. Launius until this last decade when he dropped his first name Orville, named after his father. He was married twice, having two children and one step-daughter. Amy Launius, Drew Crone Launius and Christina Graber. Sadly, Drew predeceased Duane in 2017 at the age of 25. The loss of his son weighed heavily on his heart in his last years. He worked as a Computer Aided Designer of Fire Suppression Systems in Vancouver and on his own artistic creations. His dream job was to design album covers. When CDs replaced the much larger vinyl records he seemed to have lost his ideal employment. Music and art were two of his greatest passions in life. He was most known for his meticulous attention to detail in all of his efforts and as a quiet and reflective person, always believing that hard work and his best performance were the most satisfying part of any task. He will be incredibly missed by those whose lives he touched and he has left his own indelible mark in his artwork and their hearts.

Orville Duane Launius

November 28, 1955 - February 25, 2025