Katherine Oarr

Katherine Oarr (Kathy) was born on Feb. 17, 1938, in Oklahoma City, OK, and passed away on October 17, 2025, in Sarasota, FL. The youngest of four siblings, she grew up in a family with a love of music and education. Her long career in music began when she became fascinated with the violin at the age of nine. Katherine graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a B.M. in performance and then from the University of Michigan with an M.M. in Music History and Performance. She also studied at the Amsterdam Conservatorium on a Fulbright Scholarship and at the Aspen Music Festival program for teachers. Her teaching positions included Oklahoma City University, Berea College (Berea, Kentucky), and Wells College (Aurora, NY), where she met her future husband Dwight, an organist and pianist. Retirement was a little more active than imagined when they moved to Sarasota in 1997. Katherine played for 10 years with the Florida West Coast Symphony (now the Sarasota Orchestra). After retiring from the orchestra she had more time for weekly chamber music sessions with fellow string players. She and Dwight also performed many times on the Music Sundays series of the Music Archive. She served as president of the Democratic Women’s Club of Manatee County, the president of the American Association of University Women, Sarasota, and VP of the Sarasota Orchestra Association (now the Sarasota Orchestra Friends). She was 2nd Vice President of the Sarasota Concert Association, director of its Munchtime Musicales Series, and a College/University Liaison for AAUW Sarasota. Besides music, Katherine’s great love was travel, and she was grateful to have had the opportunity to travel widely, nurturing her love of history, people, and culture. She was predeceased by her husband of 45 years, Dwight, but is survived by several beloved nieces and nephews: Russell Lorince (Sheila), Nancy Lorince (Roger Hill), Stephen Scott (Winnie), David Scott (Marcia), Randel Scott (Michelle), and Jana Baker. Her family requests that any donations in her honor be made to the Sarasota Orchestra Annual Fund, 709 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL, 34236, or to the American Cancer Society.

Tributes

Katherine Oarr

February 17, 1938 - October 17, 2025