Muristek
January 10, 1929 – June 27, 2022
Our beautiful mom, Gloria Jean Knutsen, was born in the back hills of West Virginia in 1929. Although our grandpa was a mining engineer and our grandma was a teacher, the lives of the poor miners had a lasting impact on our mom. She told us stories of playing with little pieces of glass for make-believe tea parties, using every bit of food up, and she often made delicious miners’ pancakes.Several years later when our Uncle Rod and Aunt Joan were born, the family moved to Anaheim, California. An early story that she told us about often was when at age 8 and her brother only 6, they decided to take the county fair money they were given and take a huge blimp ride by themselves! In Anaheim, Mom started swimming, dancing, singing, and playing the piano, all which gave her a lifetime of enjoyment.Over her Anaheim high school years, Mom became part of a wonderful group of friends, who called themselves “The Girlies.” These girls really bonded when they were counselors for 4 summers at Camp Osceola. Mom loved horseback riding and had a close encounter with death when lightning struck and knocked her off her horse, leaving her on the ground with dust swirling around her.Mom and her sister Joan entertained at Knott’s Berry Farm together, where they worked the nightly campfire, they were hired by Mr. Knott personally and dressed up as an old couple. Her sister, Aunt Joan played her accordion, and they sang and danced to entertain the visitors.Many of “The Girlies” went on to UCSB and joined the Pi Beta Phi sorority together. It was at a fraternity/sorority dance where Mom met the love of her life, Freddy Orr! Only a few months after dating, they were engaged. To celebrate her engagement, mom went back to the sorority and she and her friends jumped up and down on their beds to celebrate!Mom and Dad were married on August 20,1949 and moved to a little studio on Mission St. where they regularly hosted parties with their college friends, and where Mom did her student teaching. They soon moved to Lake Elsinore after graduating where dad got a job as an Industrial Arts teacher, football coach, and even as a bus driver. Mom taught school for a short time until she had the first daughter, Shaune.Living in Lake Elsinore, Mom and Dad had many exciting and maybe a bit dangerous days skiing on the lake with their boat, the Miss Shaune. Soon came Maureen and Dana! Now a family of 5, they moved to Anaheim where dad taught Industrial Arts and was Vice Principal. In Anaheim it wasn’t long before we were joined by Rosie, Rod, Stevie, Larraine, Camille, and Jeanne Therese.Dad had just added on to our house to make it 6 bedrooms and a swimming pool when we found out that we were moving to Santa Barbara. They had always loved SB and were thrilled for the opportunity to start new memories with Dad as a Santa Barbara County school administrator. Our mom was one brave woman to pack up and drive 9 kids in the pouring rain to Santa Barbara.Three years after living in Santa Barbara, Mom gave us all a huge surprise, to our delight, we got a set of twins, Danny and Diane. The family spent the next 50 plus years on their small lime orchard on the foothills of Santa Barbara. Mom was an active member of Sociable Seniors, Serra Club, Catholic Daughters, Pi Beta, Phi Alumni, Girl Scouting, and the most fun of all, a Square Dance teacher!Gloria Orr was a vivacious and loving woman, and her memory lives on in all her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Our mother passed peacefully on June 27, 2022, surrounded by all her family. She is with the love of her life, Freddie and our dear brother Rod.
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