Richard C. Orr

Dr. Richard “Dick” C. Orr passed away peacefully at his home in Arvada on May 3, 2020 at the age of 79. He was surrounded by his family as he battled blood cancer for 10 months. Survivors include his wife Jan Orr and her family; daughter, Deb Kostoff and her family; and his son Bob Orr and his family.

Dr. Orr was a mathematics professor at the State University of New York, College at Oswego from 1969 to 1981. His passion for teaching touched the lives of thousands of students in various majors across the campus. He served a chairperson of the department in the mid 1970’s and provided the leadership required to preserve the reputation of SUNY Oswego as a competitive four-year college. In the last part of his career he worked in the area of mathematical modeling. Success in this sub discipline set the stage for his work as a financial analyst and day trader after he left academe in 1981.

Mathematics played another more casual but equally deep role in his life as an avid football fan. He enjoyed running statistics and probabilities during the game as well as just sharing the time with family and friends. Games of all types, especially a family game of “May I,” were favorite pastimes. The family will miss his witty quips, historic storytelling, and crooked smile.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Cancer Society.