Phil Ortega celebrates 90th birthday

Felipe “Phil” Ortega of Gainesville will celebrate his 90th birthday May 1. He was born May 1, 1928, in Peoria, Illinois, and served as a paratrooper in the Army. On March 10, 1951, in Illinois, he married Darlene Black; they enjoyed 61 years together before her death on Aug. 18, 2012.
Phil worked in an Illinois steel mill for 33 years and developed a reputation as a highly skilled welder. His son, Randy Ortega, tells the story of moving to a new home in Illinois and meeting a neighbor who helped him unload the moving truck. As they got acquainted, the neighbor told Randy he worked in the local steel mill and was learning to be a welder. He shared how excited he was when he was told he would be trained by the best welder in the company. “You wouldn’t believe this guy,” the neighbor told Randy about the trainer. “He’s the nicest guy you ever met, and he’s so patient with me. People tell me how lucky I am to have this guy training me.”
Just then Phil arrived to help Randy and his wife, Betty, move into their new home. The neighbor was stunned to discover that Phil, his acclaimed welding trainer, was his new neighbor’s dad.
Randy said his dad worked hard in the steel mill all year long to earn his annual two weeks of vacation time, which he loved to spend with his family on fishing trips. For years the family vacationed in a rustic fishing resort in Hackensack, Minnesota. One year, Phil caught a “huge pike” there that won a local contest. He was surprised, sometime later, to open one of his favorite national outdoor magazines and find a photograph of his prize-winning pike.
After Phil retired from the steel mill, he and his wife moved to Ozark County in the 1980s. “He had probably heard about this area by reading one of his magazines,” Randy said.
Today he lives near Randy and Betty northeast of Gainesville. He enjoys staying fit, watching good movies and browsing at flea markets. “And he really enjoys eating a good steak dinner,” Randy said.
He will celebrate his birthday with family and friends – and maybe enjoy a steak dinner.