Stephanie Orr -Deceased 2022

Stephanie Orr

Phoenix – Stephanie Orr, a passionate advocate for child welfare, inspirational leader, and force for positive change, died on February 2nd in Phoenix, Arizona. She was 68.

Her life, while too short, was deeply meaningful. After graduating from Arizona State University's Master of Counseling program in 1982, she became the Director of Career Placement at DeVry University until 1986, when she joined the Boys and Girls Club of the East Valley as the Associate Director of Administration. In 1988, she became the Executive Director of the Center Against Sexual Assault (CASA), which later became The Casa Center for Positive Social Change, a role she held until her death. Casa supported victims of abuse through its crisis counseling centers, and developed violence prevention programs that reached over 950,000 Arizona students. Casa was more than a job to Stephanie. It was her purpose, her mission, her life. She believed that practicing kindness and teaching emotional intelligence from the early stages of life could create a world free of pain.

Stephanie had an incredible, rare gift for inspiring love, joy, and optimism in everyone she met. Her dedication as a champion for others and leader in the community was widely recognized. Governor Symington and Governor Hull appointed her to Chair the Governor's Commission on Violence Against Women from 1995 to 2000, she was elected to Valley Leadership Class 11, and in 1998, Phoenix Magazine named her one of the state's fifty most influential people.

Even when she was not serving others through Casa, Stephanie was ready to help anyone. No matter the hour, she would be available to support someone in need, whether family, a friend, or a complete stranger. She could find a solution to any problem through her generosity and wisdom, while inspiring laughs and hope along the way. As just one example of many, she once paid a stranger's rent so her family could avoid homelessness. As anyone who has met her knows, she brought life to every party as a hilarious storyteller, deliverer of witty zingers, and curious conversationalist. Stephanie wanted to get to know everyone, asking thoughtful questions and making others feel valued and seen. It is no wonder that everyone who crossed Stephanie's path loved her and knew she was one-of-a-kind. In return, she loved nothing more than to be surrounded with people, laughing, talking, and celebrating life.

Family meant everything to Stephanie. Born in Vermillion, South Dakota in 1953 to Jean and Russell Orr, she was the second eldest of eight children, three of whom died of cystic fibrosis. Together, the Orrs endured those devastating losses, remaining exceptionally close. For the last twenty-five years, numerous members of the Orr clan have lived within a two-block radius, occupying a slice of Central Phoenix dubbed the "cORRidor" or "Orrville." Stephanie married her husband, Bill Sherer, on May 1, 1997, and they shared almost twenty-five years of playful banter, extraordinary love, and never-ending laughter.

Stephanie's strength, passion, love, and smile live on in her daughter, Taylor, her greatest accomplishment and gift in life, of whom she was endlessly proud. She is also survived by her devoted husband, Bill; her wonderful mother, Jean; her four siblings, Michael, Jennifer, Leslye, and Meredith; her siblings-in-law, Larry, Leslie, and Zaraawar; her niece, Natalie; her nephews, Slade and Sam; her grand-nephew, Arden; and her son-in-law, Mike. She will be missed every second of every day.