Born Nov. 24, 1928, to Robert and Lillian Fleiss in Detroit, Betty graduated from Central High School there. She met the love of her life, Bernie Orman at the Jewish Community Center in Detroit. They were married October 22, 1950. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Economics. They had two boys, Rodger and Marc. They moved to Tucson on Dec. 31, 1959, because Bernie was allergic to snow.
She taught Sunday School at Temple Emanu-El for a couple years before getting her Masters of Social Work degree from Arizona State, commuting to Phoenix two days a week. She worked at Jewish Family Services (JFCS) as a social worker helping displaced Jewish transient people, coordinating adoptions, and helping to resettle Russian Jewish immigrants, as well as individual and marriage counseling. She worked at JFCS in Tucson for over 40 years and also taught Social Work at Pima Community College.
She was a wonderful mother and loved playing games like scrabble, rummy cube and Mah Jongg. She encouraged her sons along their education paths as Rodger became a doctor and Marc an engineer. She was very social and enjoyed a good party and traveling. She was kind to all, polite and courteous.
She was preceded in death by her little sister Judy, her brother Paul Fleiss, her grandson Zachary Soloman Orman, and her husband Bernie.
Betty was married to Bernie for 69 years. They lived in Tucson for 59 years before moving to Grass Valley, Calif. where Bernie passed away in 2019.
During Covid, Betty moved to Murphys, Calif. with her son, Rodger. There, she played Maj and Scrabble, attended a book club and enjoyed her two great grandsons, Jason Lake Orr and Isaac Brix Orman. She also had 2 grandsons in Grass Valley, Josh (and Summer) and Daniel whom she adored.
Betty was kind, courteous and a joy to be around and will be deeply missed. She passed on to the next world on June 6, 2023, at age 94. Donations to JFCS in her memory would be appreciated.
