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Rev. Ora B. Peck

Mar. 16, 1932 | Feb. 17, 2017
| Mar. 16, 1932 | Feb. 17, 2017

Rev. Ora Belle Peck,age 84, died Friday evening, February 17, 2017 at 10:55 pm at her home.

Ora Belle was born on March 16, 1932 in Union City, TN, to Marvin J. and Roe Ann King. She graduated from Woodland Mills High School in Woodland Mills, TN in 1950. Miss King then went to work for the telephone company for a while and married Paul Peck in May 1951.

Paul and Ora Belle would have two children, daughter Lucretia Anne Fry Cervantes, who is retired from Henderson Water Utility, and son Ronald Gene Peck, who currently serves as Senior Pastor of Millington First United Methodist Church in Millington, TN.

Ora Belle received her license to preach in the Methodist Church in 1955. This was a full year before the Methodist Church began ordaining women and granting them full clergy rights. She began pastoring at Little Chapel Methodist Church in 1955, where she pastored for 11 years.

Ora Belle also received a degree in education from Murray State University and later a Masters degree in English. In addition to pastoring, Rev. Peck also taught at Brazelton Jr. High, Symsonia High School and Hickman County High School.

In 1966 Rev. Peck entered full time ministry. Later she became the first female clergy ordained elder and voted into membership in the Memphis Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in 1971. In 1988, Rev. Peck was elected as a delegate to General Conference, which is the United Methodist Church’s highest governing body. She was also elected as an alternate two other times.

Rev. Ora Peck had a distinguished career as a pastor in the United Methodist Church.  She served on the Conference Board of Ministry (the church’s pastoral voting body), serveral district committees, and won Memphis Conference’s Town and Country Church of the Year in 1966 and again in 1967 at two different congregations; an accomplishment which had not been done previously or since.

Ora is survived by her husband of 64 years, Rev. Paul Peck of Paducah, KY; one daughter, Lucretia Anne Fry Cervantes and husband David of Henderson, KY; one son, Rev. Ronald Gene Peck and wife Pamela of Millington, TN; four grandchildren; four step grandchildren; five great grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

Rev. Peck is preceded in death by her parents, Marvin J. King, Sr. and Roe Anne King; one brother, Marvin J. King, Jr.; and sister, Ellen Hutson.  

Funeral service will be held at 11:00 am on Wednesday, February 22, 2017 at Milner & Orr Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Paducah with Rev. Kenny Locke and Rev. Susan Engle officiating. Burial will follow at Mt. Kenton Cemetery.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm on Tuesday, February 21, 2017 at Milner & Orr Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Paducah.

Expressions of sympathy may be made to: Trinity United Methodist Church, 6125 Blandville Rd, Paducah, KY 42001.

You may light a candle and leave a message for the family at www.milnerandorr.com


Milner and Orr Funeral Homes
120 Memorial Drive
Paducah, KY 42001
Email : info@milnerandorr.com Phone : (270) 442-5100