Covid-19. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend and spiritual
brother to many in Christ.
Garland was born to Johnnie and Zelda Orr, and grew up in Ojai with his siblings Jerry and
Joyce. Garland was always able to find antics to get into growing up and if he wasn’t finding
new ways to tease his siblings he was definitely keeping his mother on her toes. After high
school Garland joined the Navy and went to Vietnam for two tours on the USS Alamo.
As many know, Garland loved adventure and it was this love of adventure that led him to
meeting the love of his life, Pamela in March of 1970. While riding his motorcycle in the
backroads of Ojai he had an accident and if not for Pamela’s father, the two may have never
met. He stopped, scooped up Garland and brought him home to tend to his injuries and later
took him to pick-up his motorcycle. It was their own Back to the Future story of Garland and
Pamela’s father Don conspiring that led to Garland and Pamela getting married in August of
1970. He and Pamela always wanted daughters and were blessed with two beautiful
daughters, Stefanie and Kristina. He was always his happiest when he was with his family,
laughing, joking and sharing memories.
Gar could be found outside washing his cars on rainy days, taking hours to run a 30 minute
errand because he started telling stories and walking his neighborhood to talk with friends.
Those who knew Garland will always remember that there was no such thing as a 5 minute
conversation with him, you could expect to be on the phone for at least an hour. He loved to do
projects around the house, and trying to get his garage just the way he wanted it was his
biggest frustration. His most recent passion had again become photography, something he was
involved in previously and was teaching himself the change from film to digital technology.
Garland’s wanderlust led him to always be learning, growing and expanding the vast knowledge
of skills he had. There really wasn’t much that Garland could not fix or create for someone in
need of his help. This curiosity is what helped him to find greater strength and compassion for
life through his relationship with Jesus. He was Baptized and became a member of the Church
of Christ when he was 24, and he always had a thirst for more knowledge throughout his life.
When Garland was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Follicular Lymphoma on Valentine’s Day
2019, this strength in Jesus is what helped to keep his spirits up and his resilience strong that
he would be ok, and God would protect him and his family no matter what may come. There are
not enough words to describe Garland and the impact he had on so many people.
Garland is survived by his wife Pamela, daughters Stefanie Keller, husband Brent Keller and
Kristina Orr, granddaughters Amanda and Ashlee Keller, brother Jerry Orr and sister Joyce
Rhodes. As well as countless, family, friends and brothers and sisters in Christ.
A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, April 2, 2022 at 11am, at the Estrella Warbirds
Museum, 4251 Dry Creek Rd, Paso Robles, CA from 11am to 3 pm. Please RSVP before Monday, March 28th by giving one of us a call or text iif you plan on attending so we may plan
accordingly. If you would like to attend but cannot join us in person please email Kristina at
[email protected] and we will send you a link to join us virtually. In lieu of flowers the family
asks you to donate in his memory to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or a charity that has
special meaning to you.
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