Barbara Ann Orr

Barbara Ann Orr (née Toler) passed away peacefully on April 16, 2026, at the age of 90. Barbara was born on October 19, 1935, in Chicago, Illinois, the first child of James Irvin Toler and Lillian Marie Kriegel. When she was four years old her father's position at American Airlines took the family, now with baby sister Alice, to New York. She frequently spoke about her years living in Port Washington, Long Island as among the happiest of her childhood. When she was eleven the family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma. There Barbara graduated from Will Rogers High School in 1953 and the University of Tulsa with a B.A. in Mathematics in 1956. At TU Barbara was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta and Mortar Board, both of which she stayed active in and which provided her with lifelong friendships.
On December 27, 1956, Barbara married James L. Orr with whom she celebrated 60 years of marriage before Jim passed away in 2017. Jim was an Air Force officer, and the young couple moved to Shreveport, Louisiana, where their first daughter Karen Leslie was born in 1957. After completing his service, Jim took a position with Shell Oil Company in Oklahoma City. Daughter Amy Catherine followed in 1959 and son John Andrew in 1962. Shell transferred them to Denver, and their moving days were over. They were determined to stay in their new city, and they did, although it meant some career diversions along the way. When her children were in school, Barbara began her career as a math teacher in the Littleton Public Schools. She particularly enjoyed recording math textbooks for Recording for the Blind, which she continued well after her retirement from teaching.
From an early age Barbara loved art, winning awards for her work in high school and college. She and Jim enjoyed collecting Western Art and attending art shows around the country, forming friendships with many of their favorite artists. Barbara spent years as a docent, giving tours at the Denver Art Museum. Another of Barbara's passions was travel, both domestic and international. Amy and John have many memories from a six-week road trip around the U.S. with their mother in 1975. She also traveled to Europe, China, Machu Picchu, Russia, Nepal, and many other places with friends and family. In her mid-70s she slept in a yurt in Kyrgyzstan.
In their retirement, Jim and Barbara loved to spend the summer months at their cabin in Silver Gate, Montana, where Barbara loved to hike, play bridge and socialize with friends.
Barbara was preceded in death by her parents James and Lillian Toler, her husband James, her sister Alice Veley, and her daughter Karen, who died in a tragic car accident at the age of nineteen.
She is survived by her children Amy Harbor (Jon) and John Orr (Patte), grandchildren Ian Harbor (Kate Im), Andrew Harbor, (Hermes Carrillo Joves), Lucy Harbor (Jonas Kintner), Molly Harbor, Emma Orr (Shea Smith), Caroline Balcavage (Jared), and Claire Orr and one great granddaughter, Nora Kintner.
A scattering of Barbara's ashes near Jim's will take place in the summer in Montana.
Those who wish may donate in her memory to the Denver Art Museum or Learning Ally (formerly Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic), both organizations which were near and dear to her.
The family would like to thank the staff at Holly Creek Retirement Community and Littleton Adventist Hospital for their care and compassion during Barbara's final years, months, and days.