Lorry (Ortner) Hildebrand
Lorry Lyn (Ortner) Hildebrand passed away on July 10, 2024, in her home in Santa Barbara surrounded by loved ones, after being diagnosed with Glioblastoma in the spring of 2024. She was 66 years old. She held herself with complete dignity, courage, conviction, and strength throughout her fight. Lorry was a force of nature, an extraordinary woman, a loving and committed partner to Brent, a second mom to Emily, Jon Dean, and Dana, a devoted daughter to Joyce and Bob, a protective big sister to Jon and Ran, a true friend, fun as hell, and created beauty in everything she touched. To know her was to love her.
Lorry was born in San Francisco and raised in Alaska alongside her two younger brothers, Ran and Jon. The Ortner family relocated to Carpinteria in the 1980s, eventually settling in Santa Barbara in the 1990s, where Lorry and her mother, Joyce, remained deeply connected until Joyce’s passing in 2015. Lorry married the love of her life, Brent Hildebrand, on June 16, 2001. Together they built a beautiful life as true partners, dividing their time between their cherished communities in Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez, and their dream home outside Coeur d’Alene Idaho, close to Brent’s daughter Emily and extended family.
Lorry was a beloved fixture at The Union Hotel and Cold Springs Tavern, where she served for many years. She later took on key roles in the business operations for her and Brent’s construction business, B.H. Hildebrand Construction and also her brother Ran’s art business operations in New York all while pursuing her passion and talent for interior design. Though happiest in her cozy cabin in the woods, Lorry also had a deep love for adventure. Whether flying with Brent in their small plane, road-tripping with her girlfriends (or with Miss Kitty nestled between her houseplants on the way to Idaho), or camping in her vintage trailers that she refurbished with exquisite taste and attention to detail. Lorry’s energy and appetite for life was unrelenting and irresistible.
A brilliant cook, master of craft cocktails, gracious host, champion leg-wrestler, and prolific home painter, she was always on the hunt for the perfect shade for her kitchen or the ideal textile. Fiercely independent with enviable self-sufficiency there was no task Lorry could not master, inspiring the same in those around her. She learned to sew from her grandmother Naomi and to play guitar from her mother Joyce, and she had a beautiful singing voice that few of us had the privilege of hearing. Lorry had a deep affection for old pickup trucks, horses, and the rich sounds of American Roots, Blues, and Country music. The woman never met a stranger, cherished her canyon neighbors, and knew it was always the right time—and the right place—for a dance party.
She is survived by her husband Brent Hildebrand, stepdaughter Emily Hildebrand, her brothers Jon Ortner and Ran Ortner, stepfather Bob Hardwick, niece Dana Caldwell, nephew Jon Dean Ortner, great nephews Jack, Wiley, and Warren, and her beautiful friends and extended family, all of whom she loved so fiercely.
A Celebration of Life will be held on October 5th at Lorry and Brent’s cabin on Paradise Road. This will be an informal gathering and we invite all who would like to honor and celebrate Lorry to stop by, share stories, and toast Lorry. We invite you to make/bring a copy of a photo of you and Lorry if you have one to display at the gathering and to collect in an album afterward commemorating her life and loved ones.
Date of Celebration of Life: October 5, 2024
Location: 45 Sunshine Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
Time: Between 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
For more information or questions please contact:
Dana Caldwell: danafoxcaldwell@gmail.com
Lori Smyth: lori.n.smyth@gmail.com
Brent Hildebrand: bhhcinc@outlook.com