Orrheta's adventurous life began in Kansas City, Missouri in the summer of 1937. Her birth certificate shows her first name smeared except for the "O." Evidently the Aunts gathered at the home where she was born wanted a different name. She was named after her maternal grandmother. Her father's side of the family may have objected. She often joked about the incident and would sign her name simply "O" on her personal letters to those of us who knew the story. She had many happy memories of her young life in Kansas City surrounded by close relatives.

Orrheta's DAD was recruited to work at Hanford and moved the family to Richland, Washington in 1944. In her words, "They lured many families from the midwest with the promise of employment, which was still difficult to find at the end of the Depression. Moving expenses were paid for by the Government, and they could bring anything and everything they wanted to move. E.I. duPont deNomours was the first employee there, as I recall, and General Electric the next...Little did we know what we were becoming involved in--the making of plutonium, or the part we would play in the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki." Orrheta attended Lewis & Clark Grade School, Carmichael Junior High School and Columbia High School (Richland High School) where SHE GRADUATED in 1955. From there, she went to Kinman Business University in Spokane, Washington. Orrheta completed the estimated one and one-half years courses in nine months. She was a member of Alph Iota, student council and the beautiful red head was crowned QUEEN OF THE CARNIVAL.

Orrheta was accepted at George Washington University, Washington, D. C., but decided to work for the Central Intelligence Agency as a stenographer. They transferred her to Portland, Oregon as Administrative Assistant where she met and married her husband, Stacy. While he attended Stanford University in Menlo Park, California, she worked as Secretary to the Assistand Director, Economics Division of the University. Eventually, Orrheta, her husband and two babies moved to Fullerton, California where she worked at La Vista High School in the attendance office. She worked for the Fullerton Union High School District as a Purchasing Clerk and then for that district as District Buyer. Orrheta retired in 1990. With their children grown, ORRHETA and her husband returned to Oregon. They settled in Lake Oswego and soon became proud grandparents.

During Orrheta's lifetime, she never lost her love and enjoyment of music. She had been an exceptional piano and clarinet player from an early age. She even named her baby sister after her favorite music director, CYNTHIA LYNN HUCKSTEP, while she was attending Carmichael Junior High School. She took music appreciation classes while living in Palo Alto/Menlo Park and Fullerton. Her home was always filled with classic melodies as she gracefully played her piano.

Too soon after her fun life of retirement had begun, her life headed for it's end. The life full of talent in so many areas--music, crafts, needle work, antiques, GENEALOGY, photography, traveling and adventure ended. The many friends and family who loved her and her humor, generosity, caring and kindness lost a part of themselves when she died of cancer. Yet we look fondly back at Orrheta's life and are filled with joy because we had the honor of having her touch our lives.