INDORE, W.Va. (WCHS) — Orval Elijah Brown, of Clay County, was born in 1908 near the small community of Indore, and passed away in 2005 at the age of 97.

Throughout his long life he was better known by his alter ego, The Wildman of Clay County. While he certainly lived his life in a very different and eccentric way, there was a lot more to Brown than his famous persona.

"My generation is probably the last one that's going to remember him," said John Brown, nephew of the Wildman. "He went in the Army when he was a young man, and then he went in the Navy when World War II broke out."

Brown's ship was torpedoed by the Japanese Imperial Navy and sunk in the Pacific. He somehow survived and spent quite a while on a deserted island waiting to be rescued.

"He was on that island for a while," said Beth Cercone, a niece of Brown's. "He contracted malaria and that messed with his mind a little."

When he returned home to Clay County, he once again took on the Wildman persona, growing his hair and beard back, but he had learned quite a bit more from his time overseas.

"He was self educated, he had a vocabulary that wouldn't slow down." said John Brown.

"He had IQ tests done in the service, they were almost off the charts." added Cercone.

As time progressed, Brown's memory began to show signs of slipping. He moved in with his niece Sara when he was in his 80s, but his mind was still sharp and he was always quick with a joke.

"He sometimes didn't like to wear clothes when he was outside." Cercone said.

On one occasion, the children who were visiting Sara ran inside to tell her that Uncle Orval didn't have any clothes on and was headed to the creek.

"Sara went outside and asked, 'Are you going down to the creek Uncle Orval?' He replied, 'I am and I'm going to the bathroom.'" Cercone said.

Her sister Sara asked Orval if he had a bathroom at the creek already.

"He said no, but I'm about to establish one!" Cercone said with a laugh. "He just always had an answer."

Eventually, Orval was moved to a nursing home and passed away there in 2005. Nephew John preached his funeral and recalled what he said to the large gathering.

"I talked about his soul, and as far as we were concerned he had made things right between him and God," Brown said. "It meant a lot to us to know he was at peace with his maker."

"When someone is a little different, it doesn't mean they're to be shunned," Cercone said. "You need to embrace them. They may look different and act different, they're still the same inside. And he was our uncle."