John Orr

1941 - 2025

John Lewis Orr

"Captain Pickle"

December 20, 1941 - August 12, 2025

John passed away peacefully in his sleep in the early hours of August 12th at his beach home in Tulalip, WA, just a couple of weeks before his 63rd wedding anniversary. In his last days, he was visited by many family members and friends. Some of his final words were, "Have a good party." That simple phrase perfectly captured John's spirit-an optimistic soul who always wanted others to share in the joy of life. He was kind, knowledgeable, and endlessly enthusiastic. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

John was born to Henry and Elizabeth Orr in Everett, WA. He was the second of five children: Bob Orr, Marge Forbes, Jim Orr, and Esther Carsen. He also had nine half-siblings from his mother Elizabeth's first marriage. John lived in five different homes in Everett before moving in with his foster family, Flora and Don Menzie of Lake Stevens, along with their children. He grew up alongside his foster brothers, Gary and Dale, and his surviving foster sister, Sherri Menzie.

He graduated from Lake Stevens High School in 1960, where he met his future wife, Vicky Hopkins. They were married in 1962 in Everett. Afterward, they moved to Bellingham, where John earned his bachelor's degree from Western Washington University, graduating in the winter of 1964. During summers, he worked for the U.S. Forest Service in Darrington, WA. Although he initially pursued forestry, John discovered his true calling in teaching mathematics. A few years later, he went on to earn a master's degree in mathematics at the University of Montana, attending summer sessions over four years.

John taught for 34 years in the Mukilteo School District. He began at Mukilteo Middle School for five years, then moved to the "new" Mariner High School, where he taught math and served as chairman of the Math Department. John was known as a creative and engaging teacher. On sunny days, he would take his students outside to calculate the height of a tree, or toss candy to those who answered questions. He loved both learning and teaching. He even wrote a paper inventing an alien-inspired counting system (base 4: Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum ...), which encouraged teachers to try counting and doing math in a new base system to reimagine what it was like to be a student learning math.

Beyond teaching, John was a man of many talents and ventures. He ran an insulation business, renovated houses, and even sold T-shirts at the county fair. He built the family home in Lake Stevens, where Paul and Emma Hopkins (his in-laws) lived in the upstairs apartment. He worked on his own vehicles and often helped others with theirs. He was also an early enthusiast of computers and technology, proudly owning one of the first Apple computers.

John's favorite pastimes included listening to music, fishing, crabbing, and planning adventures. He and Vicky traveled the world together, taking countless cruises, camping in their RV with their children and grandchildren, and boating in the Puget Sound with their boat club, PSYC. He also loved sports-playing soccer and golf, coaching Mariner High School's first soccer team, and cheering on just about every game he could: football, soccer, basketball, golf, and the Olympics.

John is survived by his wife, Vicky Orr (maiden name Hopkins), and their children: Steven and Jennifer. Their eldest daughter, Jerri Novy, passed away just four months earlier from pancreatic cancer. Survived by son-in-law Tim Novy, and grandchildren Maggie (Stephen) Houck, Naia Novy (Kaitlyn Oshiro), Nick (Meghan) Novy, and his 2-month-old great-grandchild that he got to meet, Boden Novy. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Sue (Frank) Reddeman, and many wonderful nieces and nephews.

John had a great spirit and zest for life, often getting excited about the littlest things. From eating his favorite black licorice candy, to seeing a fish jump! We can all take one final lesson from him; to take joy from the littlest things everyday life has to offer.

In accordance with John's wishes, a small beach gathering for family will be held on September 14th to celebrate his life. His ashes will be spread in the Puget Sound and will have a headstone at the American Legion Cemetery in Granite Falls, WA, beside his in-laws, Paul and Emma Hopkins.