Stephenie Lou Orr

Stephenie Lou McCormick Roseman Orr, deeply beloved Mother and wife of Wilson W. Orr, passed away unexpectedly of heart complications on March 16 at 2:20 pm with her husband and family present. Stephenie was the matriarch of a large and blended family as well as a phenomenal woman, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend to all who had the honor of being in her presence. She was extraordinarily proud of her 7 children and 15 Grandchildren – which included 2 sets of twins. Born in Vincennes, Indiana in 1947, Stephenie graduated from Lincoln High School in 1965 and has returned for homecoming for decades to celebrate with her close friends of many years. She married her first love and high school sweetheart Steve Roseman in 1966 (with a formal ceremony at the USAF Academy in 1968). From there, she began her lifelong love of Motherhood. In 1974, she drew on her incomparable personal strength and the love her family when Captain Stephen Roseman, USAF, was declared lost-at-sea in a B-52 incident. Stephenie attended Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana, Trinity Nursing School in North Dakota, and earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1973 from Glendale Community College, in Arizona. She continued her nursing career through many moves and phases, including serving as a charge nurse in emergency rooms, doctor’s offices, hospice, and home health care. She also served as a personal nurse for every family member and friend in need. Beyond her wildest imagination, Stephenie found a second powerful and amazing love with Wilson W. Orr, who she married in 1981. Along with their enduring commitment to each other, Stephenie and Wilson each understood that their combined children and family would always come first. They began their journey together at the Meadowcreek Project in Fox, Arkansas, where in addition to magnificently mothering their children, she graciously hosted visitors to Meadowcreek from all over the country and beyond, including then-Governor and First Lady of Arkansas, Bill and Hillary Clinton and their daughter Chelsea. Stephenie also served as the RN for the Fox Volunteer Fire Department and could vividly recall fast rides on bad roads in the community fire truck. In 1989, Wilson and Stephenie moved the family to Tucson, Arizona where Stephenie continued her career as a patient care supervisor for a home health agency. Quickly realizing the need for more compassionate and dignified elder care, Stephenie launched her own successful health care business. In doing so, Stephenie further expanded her ability to lead families through difficult transitions with the caliber of dignity and grace reflected in her own personal life. Stephenie and Wilson bought two gold mines and moved to the Prescott area in 1997. Stephenie was a founding Director of Earth Resources Corporation in 1995 and assisted Wilson and Wyatt in growing the company to its position today as a leading heavy civil contractor in the Prescott area. Stephenie was the Consummate Mother, the Heart of our Family and is sorely missed; a sudden and grievous loss for a host of friends. She left behind husband Wilson and 7 children: Michael, Ammie, Melissa, Matthew (her natural children) and Thomas, Wyatt and Cara, (her chosen children), and 15 grandchildren. Her pride in and impact on these children and grandchildren is everlasting. She is also survived by her siblings Janis and Duane, both of Dewey, AZ. Stephenie had an innate ability to meet people where they needed to be met, and to love and accept so many - it is impossible to list all the lives she touched in a profound and positive way. Her adventurous spirit and trust in the Good of the Universe is embodied by the words she so often offered to those in need: Choose love, not fear.

Stephenie Lou Orr

September 5, 1947 - March 16, 2023