Hilma Orr

STOW - Hilma G. Orr (nee Van Heek) of Stow, Ohio, passed away very peacefully at age 89 on January 23, 2017. A longtime resident of Fort Lee, NJ, she lived on Cumbermeade Road until 2012 when she moved to Ohio to live near her daughter and son-in-law.

Mrs. Orr was born in Union City, NJ, on April 10, 1927, to the late Theodore and Hildegarde (Franken) Van Heek. In 1936, she moved with her family to Fort Lee, NJ, where she attended local schools, graduating from Fort Lee High School in 1944. Following her graduation from Barnard College in1948, Mrs. Orr married Robert F. Orr on June 27, 1948. They had a wonderful life together for over 51 years, until Mr. Orr's death on April 27, 2000.
In the 1960's Mrs. Orr worked as a secretary and bookkeeper for her husband's company, Classic Marble Company, based in Hackensack, NJ. When the business closed in 1968, she went back to school to earn her Masters in Teaching from Jersey City State Teachers College. In 1970, she began a 22-year teaching career in Fort Lee, starting as a 4th grade elementary school teacher. At the time of her retirement in 1992, Mrs. Orr was a remedial math and reading teacher.

Mrs. Orr enjoyed nothing more than spending time with her family. An avid cook and baker, she was especially known for her delicious chocolate chip cookies. Mrs. Orr was a long-time member of The First Church of Christ Scientist in Boston, MA, and local branch churches in Cliffside Park, NJ, North Bergen, NJ and Cuyahoga Falls, OH, serving in many capacities. Her son commented that she was always a happy, generous and optimistic person, who could never do enough for other people. His parents had an exemplary marriage which served as a wonderful example for the rest of her family.

She is survived by her son, Robert (Deborah) Orr of Ridgefield, Connecticut, and son-in-law, Kenneth Gibson of Stow, Ohio, five grandsons, Thomas (Shauna) Orr, Christopher (Bethany) Gibson, Douglas (Candyce) Orr, Craig (Chelsie) Gibson, and Gary (Alicia) Orr. She felt very privileged to know her great-grandchildren, Joseph, Annabella, Caitlin, Jacob, Blake and Cora and always enjoyed spending time with them. In addition, Mrs. Orr is survived by her cousins Joan Mitchell and Helen Bishop and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband and her daughter, Wendy (Orr) Gibson.

At her request, Mrs. Orr will be cremated with her ashes interred next to her husband in Hackensack Cemetery in Hackensack, NJ. A memorial service will be held at The Clinton Inn, 145 Dean Drive, Tenafly, NJ on Saturday, February 25, 2017 at 11AM.. In lieu of flowers, contributions to her memory may be made to The First Church of Christ, Scientist, 175 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, Fort Lee Public Library, 320 Main Street, Fort Lee, NJ 07024 or Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park at 1403 West Hines Hill Rd, Peninsula, OH 44264. Clifford-Shoemaker Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of her arrangements. Services entrusted to Clifford-Shoemaker Funeral Home and Crematory, 330-928-2147.