Kathy M.T. Orr (Vidra)

December 10, 1953 - July 9, 2013

Sadly, our Kathy M.T. Orr (Vidra) passed away on July 9th, 2013 after fighting a courageous battle against cancer. She was born in 1953 in Cleveland, Ohio and moved to Salt Lake City, Utah in 1988. Kathy was preceded in death by her parents Donald J. Vidra and Josephine M. (Srdjak) Vidra. She is survived by her loving daughter H. Kinsella Orr, her grandchildren Briana J. Ochoa, Gisella K. Ochoa and Xylus AC Montoya and her stepmother and best friend Janice M. Vidra, 3 sisters, 1 brother, 3 stepsiblings and 2 nieces. Kathy also leaves behind many dear friends and co-workers. Kathy graduated from Ontario High School and The Ohio State University. After moving to Salt Lake City she started working for Job Corps where she developed a lifelong interest in helping people better themselves. Kathy continued her interest in helping people from diverse cultures when she went to work for The State of Utah as a welfare caseworker. She then went to work for Marriott International. She earned a promotion to Quality Assurance Specialist, a position she loved and held until the time of her passing. While employed at Marriott, she earned the respect and admiration of many clients, supervisors and co-workers. Co-workers have mentioned that Kathy was an example and inspiration with her perseverance and work ethic and always kept a good sense of humor. Outside of work, Kathy enjoyed spending time with her family and reading. International music, movies and cultures became her passion, so much so that she studied other languages to be able to communicate with people in their native tongues. Friends and family teased her often about how such an educated woman could also really enjoy reality TV shows like Flava Flav and Love and Hip-Hop in Atlanta. We will greatly miss her outrageous sense of humor, her year-round light displays in her apartment window and her outlook on life that, “You cannot control what life has given you only how you deal with it”. We would also like to thank special friends and caregivers Angelique Watkins and Cherelle Clardy- they were with her until the end along with family as well the staff of IHC Hospice team. A memorial will be held in Salt Lake City in the lobby of The Terrace Apartments located at 1810 South Main Street on Tuesday, July 16, 2013 from 6-8 pm where memories about Kathy can be shared. There also will be a memorial in Ohio at a later date. In lieu of flowers, Kathy asked that you plant a lilac bush or a tree in memory of her and that you always remember to do something nice for someone else. “If I can I will….” ~Kathy Orr