Mary Catherine "Kay" Orr
December 11, 1951 - January 19, 2024

Mary Catherine Quanz was born to Virginia May and Clifford Edward Quanz in Long Beach, California on December 11, 1951. Her nickname of Kay stuck as her name right from the start. Kay's older sister Deborah and her were only 19 months apart. The Quanz family moved to Garden Grove, California in 1955. Both girls attended St. Columban Catholic School and Garden Grove High School. As young girls Debbie and Kay spent a lot of time just playing around the house. They would use bed sheets attached to the clothesline to play "house" in the backyard, fiddle with office supplies their father had brought home from work, play with dolls, and even had some of the first Barbies. Apparently Kay liked to dig up bugs in the backyard too and would try to bring them inside the house, but somehow always got caught! Kay was a Mommy's girl and both she and her sister were lucky to have their Grandmother come out from Utica, New York to help care for them when their mother re-entered the workforce as a school nurse while they were young. The girls did have a big adventure to New York when they accompanied their parents back to lay their grandmother to rest. On this trip they got to go to New York City and to the World's Fair

In December of 1973, Kay met the man who loved her endlessly, Jeff. She and Jeff met in a nightclub. After her first date with Jeff, she threw up because he made her nervous. But, Jeff made Kay laugh and they would marry in December of 1974. In 1985 they had a son, Jeremy. The name came to Kay in a dream about a Cowboy and she loved to tell everyone the story about her son's name. There were so many basketball games along the way that Jeremy played. Jeff first coached his beginning NJB teams, but Kay remained his biggest cheerleader as he continued to play in high school and in college. Jeff and Kay were proud parents when Jeremy graduated college in 2009, but they were absolutely over the moon when he married Dominique in 2018. They were instant grandparents to Roxanne and Brooklyn, but soon came a bouncing baby girl, MaKenzie Kay. When Jeremy and Dominique moved to Texas, Kay and Jeff decided to sell their home in California to follow them. Kay was finally able to attain her dream of owning a home free and clear of a mortgage.

In her professional life, Kay held many positions, but she really enjoyed working for the County of Orange in the Marriage License Bureau, where she was even sworn in to perform marriage ceremonies. She also got a real estate license, but that was not her cup of tea. Kay's biggest career impact was while she was at DFM Associates. There she held the office manager and accounting manager position over the years. Kay was the organizer and caretaker for both the owners within this company and every person working for DFM. Kay built relationships with everyone she met and they trusted in her for her support personally and professionally. While in position at DFM Kay was also able to support both her son with a job and both her nieces Sarah and Jenny to build their resumes. In 2018, Kay packed up her numerous Pink Panther collectible mugs, stuffed animals, and desk items and headed off on a new adventure: retirement.

Kay's way to escape it all was to listen to music, read a book, visit with friends, decorate with her giraffes, or travel to Palm Springs. In high school Kay met two of her lifelong friends, Marla and Dennie. Later in life, she developed a friendship with Annie, the mother of her son's good friend. She always had a love of music. Kay was able to see some of the greats in concert: the Beatles, Elvis, Barbara Streisand, and Celine Deon. Her favorite song was "People" by Barbara Streisand. Kay and Jeff enjoyed listening to their turntable with their favorite 60s and 70s LPs. When Kay and Jeff were preparing for their big move to Texas, Kay donated hundreds of her books that she had collected. She loved to read, but especially loved her Kindle because she didn't have to store all the physical books and enjoyed being introduced to new authors with the freebies that she could download on her Kindle. Kay had a chance to visit with Real Giraffes at the San Diego Safari Park, but her collection of giraffes at home grew in numbers over the years. There are some that are over six feet tall to others that are small artistic framed pieces of just a few inches. Kay certainly had a passion for the things and the people she loved. Palm Springs was Kay's favorite getaway. Luckily, Jeff liked it too. Kay preferred the temperature be above 102 and she hoped to be strong enough to travel back to Palm Springs again soon.

Medical issues and hospitalization were something that were a part of Kay's life for many years. When Jeremy was in high school, she had a major brain surgery with IV treatment that followed up afterward. The family dog, Buddy, was a Schnauzer who Kay adored. One day when the visiting nurse was there, she asked if the dog could be put in another room… Kay said no, he was staying put. Her Buddy helped her get through those tough days and she was heartbroken when he passed.

Everyone was praying for a positive outcome with Kay's most recent hospitalization. She spent Thanksgiving, Her Birthday, Her and Jeff's 49th Wedding Anniversary, Christmas, and New Years in the hospital with Jeff, Jeremy, and family by her side. On the morning of Jan 19, 2024 Kay was surrounded by her husband, son, sister, brother-in-law, daughter in law and nieces as she took her last breaths. We were all devastated but knew she was at peace and no longer suffering. When we walked out to the waiting area just after, Jeff had his cell phone clipped to his pants and while we chatted and grieved music started playing from his phone. He looked at his phone to see what was going on and the Barbara Streisand and Celine Dion song "Tell Him" was playing. Jeff started crying even more and all of us were in awe. The lyrics to the song were really Kay saying she loved him one last time:

Tonight love will assume its place

This memory time cannot erase

Your faith will lead love where it has to go

Tell him

Tell him that the sun and moon

Rise in his eyes

Reach out to him

And Whisper words so soft and sweet

Hold him close to feel his heart beat

Love will be the gift you give yourself

Never let him go