Gloria Fontaine Orr

Gloria Fontaine Orr (née Ratchford) was born in Gaffney, South Carolina on October 1, 1942, to the late M.B. Ratchford Sr. and the late Alice C. Ratchford (née Coleman). She was a faithful member of Philadelphia Baptist Church for many years and attended Gaffney public schools. Mrs. Orr graduated from Granard High School in 1960 where she played the trumpet on the school’s marching band. Mrs. Orr’s affinity for childcare manifested at a young age. One of her earliest and favorite charges was her baby brother, Franklin, affectionately known as “Bae.” During her early twenties, Mrs. Orr made her way north to New Canaan, Connecticut, where she was employed as a live-in nanny before meeting and marrying her soulmate, Johnston Lee Orr Sr., in 1966. This union blessed her with two children, Johnston Lee Orr Jr. and Joyce Denise Orr. While nurturing her family, Mrs. Orr worked as an electronics assembly technician until the late 1980s, then returned to her original passion and became a daytime nanny for several Connecticut families. Following the loss of her husband in 2003, Mrs. Orr recommitted to serving the Lord and was baptized at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses. In 2019, having retired from childcare, Mrs. Orr joined her son and daughter in Altamonte Springs, Florida. She remained in their loving, caring hands until her passing. In addition to her parents and husband, Mrs. Orr was predeceased by brothers James Ratchford and M.B. Ratchford Jr., sister Gayle A. Johnson, and stepson Barry S. Mitchell Orr. Her memory will be cherished by her son and daughter; brother Pastor Franklin Ratchford (Audrey) of Columbia, South Carolina; brother-in law, Benjamin Orr (Vera) of Estill, South Carolina; sister-in-law, Lillie Rose Walker (David) of Hampton, South Carolina; nephew Franklin Ratchford Jr. of Winston-Salem, North Carolina; nieces Dr. Amber Ratchford Morales (Erick) and Lindsay Williams (Keith), of Columbia, South Carolina, and Melanie Johnson of Maryland; a host of family members; and her beloved Christian sisters and brothers of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Stamford, Connecticut and Altamonte Springs, Florida. A visitation will be held on Sunday, February 9, 2025, from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM at DeGusipe Funeral Home & Crematory, 9001 Orlando Avenue, Maitland, FL, 32751. A memorial will be held on Sunday, February 9, 2025, from 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1015 Palm Springs Drive, Altamonte Springs, FL, 32701.

Gloria Fontaine Orr

October 1, 1942 - February 3, 2025