Peggy Jane Orr's Obituary
Peggy Jane Orr
1954 -2025
Orem – Peggy Jane Morris Orr passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family, on January 20, 2025. As in life, she will always be cherished as a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend to many. Her legacy of goodness, love, and service is carried forward in the many lives that were made better by her touch.
Peggy was born on August 28, 1954, in Monticello, Utah, the eighth of thirteen children. In addition to Monticello, Peggy lived her younger years in the Salt Lake City area; Fort Meyers, Florida; and Logan, Utah. Her teenage years were spent in San Luis Obispo and Arroyo Grande, California. It was in Arroyo Grande that she met Jeffrey Steven Orr. They were married and began their eternal journey together in the Los Angeles Temple on March 3, 1973.
Peggy and Jeff’s early married years were spent on California’s central coast in Arroyo Grande and Grover Beach. From there, they moved to Gainesville, Texas, for one year, before moving to Provo, Utah, to attend graduate school at Brigham Young University. They built a home in Orem, Utah, in 1984 and have lived there ever since.
Peggy and Jeff raised six children. Peggy honored the role of mother and dedicated herself to fulfilling that role with all her heart, might, mind, and strength. She was proud to be at home with her children and believed that the best way she could make a difference in the world was to raise her children to love God and Jesus Christ, to be confident and well-balanced, and to enjoy life. She helped each of her children identify their interests and supported them in all they did.
In addition to her six children, Peggy loved her twenty grandchildren. She loved every minute she could be with them, talk with them, play with them, and teach them. She often planned special parties for her grandchildren, most memorable among them a Hawaiian themed Valentines Party complete with hula skirts and hula hoops. Every one of her grandchildren was her favorite! And every one of them loves their Grandma-Peggy.
Peggy had many talents. As an artist she produced everything from handmade watercolor greeting cards to floor-to-ceiling Winnie the Pooh murals on all four walls of a son’s bedroom. As a seamstress, she sewed clothes, homemade dolls, stuffed animals, curtains, and more. As a gardener, she knew the full botanical background of every plant that went into her beautiful landscape plans. And as a cook, she favored her family with her delicious enchilada casserole (among other things).
Peggy had a firm testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and shared her testimony through example and words. Peggy also served faithfully in many Church callings in the Primary, Young Women, and Relief Society organizations. She loved to serve, always giving her very best.
After several years of serious health issues, Peggy had a liver transplant in November of 2018. The surgery went well and was followed by several months of newfound vitality. But that was to be short lived. In March of 2019, a serious infection ultimately took her kidneys, which placed her on dialysis for over five years. Several months before her death she was diagnosed with cancer.
Through it all, Peggy never complained, but remained positive and full of hope. Her wonderful attitude and spirit became an inspiration to many family members, friends, and neighbors. Many who came with the intent to encourage and lift her, left feeling spiritually fed and lifted themselves. Hers was a life well-lived. She did indeed fight a good fight, finishing the course laid before her, and keeping the faith (see 2 Timothy 4:7). She is now enjoying well-earned peace and comfort, and a wonderful reunion with her parents and other loved ones.
Peggy is preceded in death by her parents, Harold Douglas Morris and Vivian Irene Parry; two sisters, Kathleen Morris and Alta Irene Chatwin; and three brothers, Stephen Paul Morris, Samuel Alma Morris, and Harold Thomas Morris. She is survived by her husband, Jeffrey Steven Orr; her siblings, Robert Dale (Heidi) Morris, Utahna Kaye Richardson, Gaylynne (Michael) Pollock, Valarie (Greggory) Kunz, Shane Parry (Marcel) Morris, Sarah Elizabeth Potter, Deborah Anne Morris; her Sister-in-Law, Bonnie Marie Selman Morris; her six children, Jason Allan (Paloma) Orr, Lisa Anne (Rusty) Rogers, Carrie Elisabeth (Jared) Whittaker, Aaron David (Aimee) Orr, Christopher Preston (Kayleen) Orr, Matthew Steven Orr; and twenty grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, January 24, 2025, at 11:00 AM, at 575 South 400 West, Orem, Utah, and broadcast online. Family and friends may pay their respects at a viewing on Thursday, January 23, 2025, 7:00–9:00 PM, at the same address, and prior to the funeral service from 9:00–10:30 AM. Interment will follow at Orem Cemetery.
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