Obituary of Roberta Jean Orr Thiele

Roberta Jean (Orr) Thiele June 9, 1942 - April 10, 2018 Roberta Jean (Orr) Thiele, age 75, of Midland Michigan passed away peacefully on April 10, 2018 at Mid-Michigan Regional Medical Center surrounded by her family. Roberta was born to Dwight Orr and Lucille (Collier) Orr on June 9, 1942 in Taylorville Illinois. The family moved to Lombard, Illinois where Roberta attended Lincoln School and graduated from Glenbard Township High School West. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to study education and later transferred to Elmhurst Hospital in Elmhurst, Illinois to become an X-Ray technician. She met her future husband Allan while they attended Lincoln School and the First Church of Lombard. They started dating in high school, and 7 years later were married in 1963. Roberta worked at Brokaw Hospital in Bloomington, Illinois and then at the William Fox Children's Center in Dwight Illinois. After being a stay-at-home mom raising daughters Julie and Becky, she re-entered the work force and became the office professional at the United Church of Christ Midland. She retired from the church office in 1998. After retirement Roberta stayed involved in the church. She loved to read, knit and watch her favorite soap opera, General Hospital. Roberta and Allan loved to travel. They visited and explored all 50 states in addition to cruising the oceans. They liked to winter in warm places; visiting Southern California where their daughters both live or Florida and the gulf coast; combining the warm weather pleasure with volunteering, working for Habitat for Humanity and United Church Disaster Relief Ministries. Roberta was preceded in death by her sisters, Carol Orr Tibbetts, Jane Orr and Joyce Orr Dickey. Surviving, in addition to her husband, are her daughters, Julie A. Thiele (Steve Lemley), and Becky M. Thiele, her brother David Orr (Kim) and her sister Kathy James (Tom). Her family would like to thank the staff at the DaVita Dialysis Center in Midland for all their care over the last four years. A Memorial Service will be held at the United Church of Christ, 4100 Chestnut Hill Drive, Midland Michigan, at 11:00 AM on Friday, April 20, 2018. Family visitation will be held starting at 10:00 AM before the service. In lieu of flowers the family requests contributions to the United Church of Christ Midland or to Midland County Habitat for Humanity. To sign online guestbook, visit www.cremationsocietymidmi.com