Orr, Phyllis (Holcomb)

Phyllis Orr (nee Holcomb), beloved mother, grandmother, and sister, passed away peacefully on November 23, 2012.

Her three daughters, Janis Hoffman (Huntley), Gay Pauley (Kent), and Shannon Hanson (Robert) were by her side. Phyllis was born May 5, 1927, in Benson, Arizona, one of three daughters, to parents Harold and Rosa Holcomb.

There she met her future husband, Donald T. Orr. She attended ASU and graduated from UofA, later completing her Masters of Education. After living for some years in Md., Penn., and Va., in 1965 the Orrs and their daughters returned to the Arizona Phyllis loved, where they lived in Douglas. There Phyllis continued her career as an elementary school teacher until she retired in 1992, and hundreds of children were blessed and inspired by her skills as a loving teacher. She was a valued member of the Douglas Presbyterian Church and choir. Phyllis lived in Scottsdale for the final ten years of her life.

She was predeceased by her parents and sister Louise Riddle, and is survived by sister Jean Holcomb Smith, her daughters, and grandchildren Hunt Hoffman, Jackson Pauley, and Torrey and Joshua Speer. Phyllis’s kindness and love of life shone through her beautiful blue eyes until the end.

She will be dearly missed.

Her family will hold a private memorial in the Dragoon Mountains she loved and could see from her childhood home in Benson. In addition, a brief memorial for Phyllis will be held during regular church services at the Presbyterian Church, at 10:30 a.m. on December 9, 2012.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Presbyterian Church in her name.