Passing of Oak Okleshen

[TCOLBURN]

Orlando O. "Oak" Okleshen, MOA #5539, passed away Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at the age of 84.

Arrangements are as follows:
Wake Monday, April 10th from 9 a.m. till 11 a.m. at Panozzo Funeral Home, 530 West 14th Street (Lincoln Hwy/US 30), Chicago Heights, Illinois 60411.
Interment immediately following at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, Elwood, Illinois

--Tim C.

 

[20774]

A great loss to Airheads owners and the whole of the BMW world. Truly a Friend of the Marque.

 

[chasman]

Sorry to hear this news. Shared lots of rallies with Oak and wife Carol beginning in 1975 at the Shakamak Lake rally in Indiana. Condolences to his family.

 

[happy wanderer]

Sad day indeed. Never met the man however I and so many others have benefited for years from his vast knowledge and kindness in sharing it with Airheads the world over. I conversed with him briefly last year when I bought a copy of his Top End Manual. What sticks with me is how polite and generous he was in offering me help with any questions or issues I might have going forward. One of a kind.

RIP Orlando (Oak) Okleshen. You will be missed.

 

[toooldtocare]

Oak was a true gentleman, and a friend to everyone he met. He bailed me out a couple of times when I needed advice or parts. He will be missed.

Wayne

 

[williambrown]

Greetings From Down Under on such a sad occasion

I found Oak in the early 80's with my first BMW, a 1977 R100/7. That' s before emails, folks!

I purchased the BMW manuals put out by the Chicago boys, and Oak and I exchanged letters on the issues I had with the bike. My letters were short and hand written, his as long as needed for the problem, and typed.

I never had the opportunity to meet Oak in person, but I feel I knew Oak the Bloke, as we say in Oz.

You could feel it all in his letters-his enthusism for the brand, his empathy for those with less skill and knowledge of the marque, and his joy in life

Thank you Oak for all your efforts all those years ago. And Oak, I have news, I started with an airhead, then went high tech with 2 K100s, then had a break and rode Bultacos in trials. Eight years ago I got back again into road bikes on a R1200RT, then a R1200GS and now I am looking for a 70s or 80s R100 RS or S. I love the sound of a well tuned big airhead!

Vale Oak. As we say over here - " played strong, done good "

Bill Brown
Canberra
Australia

 

[Visian]

An Airhead like no other. I hope there is a way to enshrine his knowledge.

Ian

 

[robsryder]

The spirit of Oak will be with us for quite a while. Just yesterday I pulled out some bit of wisdom saved from him and read through the pages. I have a good bit of such airhead info along with memories of past interactions.

 

[brittrunyon]

Who Was Oak?

Snowbum writes.............http://bmwmotorcycletech.info/WHO-WAS-OAK.htm

 

[dennisdarrow]

Oak's Writings are one reason BMWMOA is what it is

I am truly going to miss the what Oak brought to BMWMOA. A tradition of technological knowledge and precision. His writings set THE STANDARD for the NEWS and actually were the reason, only reason, that folks joined and stayed. To know about their machines, learn how to maintain them, and a certain joy in knowing your machine and passing that knowledge on to others helped BMWMOA grow to what it once was. We miss that standard, just as we miss him.....God bless you Oak.

 

[72r60/7]

Oak was a true gentleman, and a friend to everyone he met.

A man should be proud for someone to say that about you.
Charlie

 

[PGlaves]

Oak was one of my mentors. Much of what I learned about Airheads I learned from him; his writings; or his personal advice. He did some work for me: head work and double plugging on an R80/7 of Voni's. He and I corresponded quite a bit in the early years - 1970s and '80s. We always talked at the national rally and were on a few seminar panels together too.

He was an icon always to be remembered.

 

[alancoles]

A sad day indeed, and as has already been said, a very significant loss for the BMW community as a whole and Airheads in particular not just a lose of phenominal knowledge, but also a loss of such a great and giving spirit.

We never met but did converse several times over the phone and by email, and each of those occasions reinforced the fact that he was not only a Gentleman, but also a gentle man in the very best sense of the term.

R.I.P.

 

[DANCINDAVE]

He was critical to the growth of the MOA

Oak was first generation of the BMWMOA and carried all tech chat on his back for many years. Oak and a few others are the reason the MOA is where it is now...along with Don Doughlass who was both magazine editor and ran the MOA and let us not forget Keith Dempster as President and long time Board member, founder Pure Stodge Touring Society, who used his own property to host the Iowa Rally -- iconic, memorable, huge, and wonderful. Oak was legendary for his willingness to offer advice with no question too silly and to offer help. Thanks Oak. RIP

 

[RPGR90s]

When we leave this earth, man's contribution to his fellow man is what will be remembered.

And Oak did plenty of that.

I wrote him in the early 90's about my R90s, and in return received a six page, typed letter, elaborately detailed with answers to my every question.

He was incredibly enthusiastic about Airhead's and reading his letter, I felt even more confident about my bike's abilities to take me anywhere.

RIP.

 

[ebeeby]

His top end manual lives on in my R75/5

RIP

 

[67207]

I never knew Oak personally, but felt as though I did after reading about in the MOA mag.

God Speed..

Sent from my C6606 using Tapatalk

 

[SCBuckeye]

I remember reading a lot of great articles in the magazine way back - that is, when the magazine was worth something - not like the mag now which is nearly worthless!!

 

[20774]

Here's a picture I took at one of Oak's tech sessions at the 1982 National at Shreve Ohio...proof of that is written on the folder of the member in the front row...yeah, I intended that when I took the picture. He's wearing a t-shirt that says "Here Comes Trouble"! Looks like Oak was having an "oil discussion"...looks like he was illustrating oil molecules and how they work to lubricate between two metals.

 

[akbeemer]

So Oak was the originator of the concept of an oil thread. I never met him, but enjoyed and learned from his Airmail pieces.