Christine A. Orling

Christine Alice “Teena” Orling June 13, 1947 – July 20, 2023 Teena was born in San Francisco, second of three children, to Eric G. and Alice E. Orling. The family later moved to Fairview Park, Ohio; Manhasset, NY; and in 1957 to Westfield, New Jersey. For her elementary schooling, Teena attended small Lutheran parochial schools. She graduated from Westfield High School and Valparaiso University (IN) and earned a master’s degree from Indiana University in English. She was a good student, also enjoying sports and singing in every choir she found. She was part of a select all-girls vocal ensemble in high school. After earning her master’s she moved to St. Louis where she taught middle school English for 9 years. During the summers she participated in Outward Bound courses, biking, and mountain climbing, eventually becoming an expert in orienteering and map drawing. She once helped solve a murder case after a map-making colleague sent her coordinates for human bones he had found in a heavily-wooded area; she was featured on the TV show “Forensic Files”. She won many awards in orienteering, culminating in a National Women’s Master’s Championship. Teena and her brother Jim maintained a gardening business for many years, caring for numerous high-end gardens in the St. Louis area. After moving to Minocqua, wishing to enjoy the four seasons and loving snow, deer, gardening, and quilting, Teena took employment gardening, substitute teaching, census taking, dog care and walking; she did a stint at fast food retail. She found a church home at St. Matthias Episcopal Church where she loved and supported clergy and friends alike. She became fond of the clergy dogs: Mr. Bentley, Buttercup, and EZ. She enjoyed volunteering in the church garden and at the Thrift Store and was a faithful choir member, often leading Evensong even while battling the cancer that eventually claimed her life. She compiled an Evensong service from her favorite Evensong settings; this will be used for her memorial celebration. A master of artistic quilting and knitting, Teena decorated her home with fine pieces. She heroically battled cancer for many years, worked amazingly hard on her physical therapy, as she wished to return home to garden once again. Teena was always quick with a smile, a joke and never hesitated to speak her mind. Those who will miss her include friends in Minocqua and beyond and her family: Elizabeth Orling (Robert Zimmermann), sister; James Orling (Jane Fisher Orling), brother; nieces Christina Reinhard (Bill Reinhard), Anne Fiscarelli (Kevin Fiscarelli), Emily Orling (David Elwood), Madeline Orling Connolly (Brian Connolly), and nephew Mark Wieske (Erika Ostlie Wieske). Please send no flowers, unless you care to bring some from your garden to the Memorial Service at St. Matthias Episcopal Church on August 11 at 5 p.m. Instead, please make gifts to St. Matthias Episcopal Church, Minocqua, WI, or to a charity of your choice.

Christine A. Orling

June 13, 1947 - July 20, 2023