Sidney Susan Orr
March 14, 1937 ~ July 14, 2021
SIDNEY SUSAN (WINKEL) ORR, age 84, of Reston, Virginia, passed away Wednesday, 14 July 2021, from complications of a brain aneurysm. As an Army brat, Sidney traveled to numerous domestic US Army bases and many countries in post-WWII Europe. She was a graduate of Anchorage High School in 1955 and received her BA from The George Washington University in 1959. “Susan” was a member of the GW Women’s Rifle Team, helping them win the 1958 championship title. She entered the United States Air Force ROTC program while at GWU, attaining the rank of First Lieutenant.
Susan met Thomas “Chuck” Orr, her future husband, while stationed at Fairchild AFB near Spokane, WA. Since Chuck was enlisted, they waited until he was discharged before pursuing a relationship and marrying in November 1960. Susan supported the family while Chuck attended the Institute of Far Eastern Languages, a joint program of the US Air Force and Yale University. He subsequently took a job with the National Security Agency and their first posting was a 14-month assignment in Taiwan.
Susan was an active volunteer in the Maryland public school system while her children were growing up. She enjoyed embroidery, was a voracious reader and crossword puzzler, and was an active animal activist. Chuck’s last assignment took them back to Alaska, where they made their home for 18 years and eventually retired. Widowed in 2017, Susan returned to the east coast to be closer to family members, making trips with them to New York, Utah, Wyoming, Washington, southwestern Ireland, and southern France.
Susan is survived by her brother and West Point graduate, Paul Patton Winkel, Jr., son Eric M. Orr, and daughter Valerie B. Dillon. A small, private memorial service will be held at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Herndon, VA (see below for details). She will be interred in Arlington National Cemetery next to her husband of nearly 60 years. Post-pandemic schedule constraints may delay this ceremony by 9-11 months. If desired, friends may make memorial contributions to the MedStar Washington Hospital Center Foundation by clicking https://www.giving.medstarhealth.org/mwhcdonate and specifying Neurology under Other designation. Condolences and interest in attending the Arlington ceremony may be sent to the family at eorr99@gmail.com.
A memorial service will be held at the Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Herndon, VA, on Sunday, 25 July 2021, at 1:00 pm. For those who cannot get to the church, the service will be streamed live on the HCLC Facebook page and will be saved under the video section.
Holy Cross Lutheran Church
1090 Sterling Road
Herndon, VA 20171
(703) 437-1883
Facebook page: Click Here
Susan met Thomas “Chuck” Orr, her future husband, while stationed at Fairchild AFB near Spokane, WA. Since Chuck was enlisted, they waited until he was discharged before pursuing a relationship and marrying in November 1960. Susan supported the family while Chuck attended the Institute of Far Eastern Languages, a joint program of the US Air Force and Yale University. He subsequently took a job with the National Security Agency and their first posting was a 14-month assignment in Taiwan.
Susan was an active volunteer in the Maryland public school system while her children were growing up. She enjoyed embroidery, was a voracious reader and crossword puzzler, and was an active animal activist. Chuck’s last assignment took them back to Alaska, where they made their home for 18 years and eventually retired. Widowed in 2017, Susan returned to the east coast to be closer to family members, making trips with them to New York, Utah, Wyoming, Washington, southwestern Ireland, and southern France.
Susan is survived by her brother and West Point graduate, Paul Patton Winkel, Jr., son Eric M. Orr, and daughter Valerie B. Dillon. A small, private memorial service will be held at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Herndon, VA (see below for details). She will be interred in Arlington National Cemetery next to her husband of nearly 60 years. Post-pandemic schedule constraints may delay this ceremony by 9-11 months. If desired, friends may make memorial contributions to the MedStar Washington Hospital Center Foundation by clicking https://www.giving.medstarhealth.org/mwhcdonate and specifying Neurology under Other designation. Condolences and interest in attending the Arlington ceremony may be sent to the family at eorr99@gmail.com.
A memorial service will be held at the Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Herndon, VA, on Sunday, 25 July 2021, at 1:00 pm. For those who cannot get to the church, the service will be streamed live on the HCLC Facebook page and will be saved under the video section.
Holy Cross Lutheran Church
1090 Sterling Road
Herndon, VA 20171
(703) 437-1883
Facebook page: Click Here
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Susan was a blessing to me all the time I knew her – she shared with me in her own quiet way with hugs and brief conversations. I’ll continue to treasure the memories of the time we shared while she was preparing for the big move as well as the letters she sent from Virginia. The little white bench she gave me will always remind me of her sitting peacefully in the sun.
My mom and Sidney were best friends in high school, both army brats, traveling the world. They never lost contact with each other over the years, sharing marriages, children and family events. I have many cherished stories of the two as I was growing up. When I was older, I was able to meet both Sidney, Chuck and Eric and travel around England with them. It made me understand why my mom loved her so much and their friendship. After the passing of my mom, Sidney kept in contact with me so that I could continue their tradition of sharing family adventures, pictures and stories. I will miss her dearly, but will never forget her kind loving heart.