Louise Orf

Louise Orf (nee Visnovske), of Saint Peters, MO, passed away peacefully with her children by her side on Sunday, October 27, 2024, at the age of 84. Beloved wife of the late Arthur Orf; cherished daughter of the late John and Rachel Visnovske. Devoted mother of Lisa (Joe) Mikecin, Kevin (Kate) Orf, Brenda (Dave) Maire, and Roger (Mandy) Orf; loving grandmother of Rachel Orf, Dan and Owen Maire, and Mason, Miles, Molly, and Max Orf; dear sister of Fran (the late Richard) Blaha, Terri (the late Ron) Richter, and the late Johnnie (Toni survives) Visnovske; and cherished sister-in-law to Bernice and the late Rose Marie Orf. Louise was also a loving aunt, cousin, and friend to many. 

Louise lived a beautiful life. Born and raised in Crystal City, she grew up in a loving home and had many friends. After graduating from Crystal City High School, Louise worked at that school for a few years as a secretary to the principal. From there, she attended Miss Hickey’s Training School for Secretaries in St. Louis, and then she started as a receptionist at McDonnell Aircraft, where she soon met Art. They married in May 1964, and they had four children. 

Louise was very active in her children’s lives, and she volunteered in many ways at St. Kevin’s parish in St. Ann. She was a Girl Scout leader, a funeral lunch planner, and helped clean church every month. She had many hobbies, including cooking, baking, and gardening. She spoiled her family with wonderful meals each day, and she enjoyed making everyone’s favorite dishes. She and Art always had a yard with beautiful flowers and a large vegetable garden, and she loved to share tomatoes with everyone. She was proud to have won the St. Ann Ward 5 Yard Award two years in a row. In addition, she loved to sew, decorate cakes, create craft projects, save money by couponing, and perfect different recipes such as her soft pretzels. She loved to share her talents with others as she could. Every Christmas, she would bake hundreds of rolls and make many jars of jelly, and she had her kids deliver them to neighbors and friends. She was always thinking of others. 

In recent years, Louise became active at St Elizabeth Ann Seton and then St Cletus parishes in St. Charles. She made many new friends everywhere she went. Louise’s charisma and kindness made everyone enjoy her company. She genuinely cared about others and was a good friend. She was the best companion and caregiver Art could have ever asked for. And she loved to share her good fortune in life by donating to many medical, housing, veteran, and missionary organizations. 

Louise loved to read religious, inspirational, self-help, and food/nutrition books. Her two favorite books were “The Power of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale and “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. She read them early in her life and it really seemed to pay off! 

Louise had great faith in Jesus. Her favorite Bible verse was: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Last year, she met her cancer diagnosis head on, knowing that Jesus was on her side. She was a trooper through all her treatments. When the doctor told her in August that the cancer had spread, she said, “Just let God take care of it and I’ll go to heaven sooner than I planned on, but that’s all right. I’ve made peace with that.” She was an amazing person. She will be missed dearly by her kids, grandkids, sisters, nieces, nephews, cousins, and all her many friends. 

Note for those planning to attend the funeral: Mom’s wish was to make her funeral a joyous occasion, and she requested that people wear pink (but please don’t feel like you have to). 

If you are unable attend, you may view the funeral mass live or as a recording on the St. Cletus website: https://www.saintcletus.org/ .

In lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions in Louise's name to Habitat for Humanity.