Barbara K. Orechoff

Barbara Orechoff, devoted wife and mother, and community leader passed away peacefully in her sleep on Monday, April 5th, 2021. A native of Highland Park, California, she showed her sense of adventure and insatiable desire for new experiences early on – moving to France to study international business administration at the American College of Paris and eventually starting her career there and becoming a leader at Citibank France. She said: “It was a wonderful time of my life” where she “got to know her local neighborhood, the restaurants, the shops, it was charming”. Paris was only made better when she met her now-husband of 33 years, Michael, during a psychology class at ACP in 1979. Michael proposed to her in Paris in 1987 and yes she did accept! Barbara moved back to New Jersey from Paris in 1988 to be with Michael. They married in a civil ceremony in August 1988 with a religious ceremony in September 1988 in Washington D.C. In the following years, she gave birth to two children – Alex and Marie. Barbara was always dedicated to making the lives of her family and friends better – and this was best evidenced by her decision to become a stay-at-home mom. Through these years, she tirelessly made every holiday more special for those around her, refined her prowess for home cooking, and instilled her love of the arts in her children. Her son will always remember the summer holidays, where she would share her favorite movies with her children. Many will remember the chocolates, hazelnut brittle, or Vodka cordials she would give to friends and clients annually at Christmas and the formidable meals she would cook around the holidays for her family. Others were always first to Barbara. As her children got older, Barbara returned to the workforce, building her business from scratch to become one of her firm’s most accomplished investment advisors. It was a role suited for her – it was another way for her to help others thrive. She was quoted: “It's a way of helping folks get their act together," she said. "You look at the whole picture and make sure the 'what ifs' are taken care of." Her success was a testament to her work ethic, integrity, and aspirations for others. Her work wasn’t the only place she touched: she proudly was president and the community service chairs of the Moorpark Morning Rotary Club, was a founding member of the Moorpark Toastmasters, volunteered her financial expertise at the Moorpark Active Adult Center, and read to children regularly at Arroyo West school, and led multiple efforts for USC. A list of Barbara's community efforts include:: · Rotarian – Moorpark Morning Rotary Club –President 2011-2012 · Rotary Avenue of Service Award and Master PRLS Graduate & Instructor · Rotary District 5240 Vocational Service Chair 2016-17 · USC Town and Gown – Committee Member · Trojan League of the Valley Associates. Current President · Moorpark Active Adult Center · Moorpark Education Foundation - Board Member · Simi Valley Hospital Foundation – Hats Off Committee Member · Women's Information Network-Simi Valley (WINS) Special Projects Chair · Moorpark Chamber of Commerce - 2009-2014 Board of Directors First and foremost, she believed in being of service to others. "It's paying it forward if I'm able to help out," she said. She accomplished all of this despite battling cancer for over 10 years. Her family and friends are incredibly proud of the lasting positive impact she has made on their lives and the greater community. Her memory will live on in all the selfless actions she took throughout her life and the example she set relentlessly struggling against any challenge in her past. She leaves behind her husband, Michael, her son Alex, her father Leon, her brother Leon Jr., and niece Elizabeth and the multitude of friends she has made here in Moorpark and abroad. We will all miss her dearly and look forward to the day we can see her again. She is predeceased by her daughter Marie, her mother Kazimiera Waszak and her mother in law Catherine Orechoff. Channeling her eternal selflessness, we invite donations in her honor to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation as well as your time volunteering to continue the many endeavors she embarked on in the community.