Thea Elizabeth Ornberg was born on March 1, 1977 in Silver Spring MD, the daughter of Richard and Judith (Woltjer) Ornberg.

During childhood, she and her family lived in several cities including Bethesda MD, Antioch IL and Wildwood MO. She was a 1995 Lafayette High graduate where she was active in choir and choral groups. She attended veterinary technology institutes and worked for several veterinary practices. Thea was united in marriage to Christian Gander on September 17, 2005. They lived in Florissant MO where Thea worked in their take-out pizza business, Mario’s Pizza. On July 4, 2006, a son, Trevor Logan Gander was born and became the focus of Thea’s life. In 2012, the marriage was dissolved and she raised her son as a single parent.

Thea struggled with Type 1 diabetes since age 4. She lost vision one eye in 1994 due to diabetic retinopathy. Despite these overwhelming complications, she maintained an active life as a single mom giving all of her energy to Trevor and her pet dogs and cats. Her compassion for animals was boundless. She was always cheery and had positive in outlook. Eventually, she developed end-stage kidney disease requiring weekly kidney dialysis prior to her death.

She is survived by her son, Trevor, her parents Richard and Judy Ornberg, her brothers, Peter C. Ornberg and Erik L. Ornberg and uncles, aunts and numerous cousins.

A celebration of her life is planned for October 23 at 10 am at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Manchester, MO. Her ashes will be buried in the Ornberg plot in Fairview Cemetery, Willmar, MN in the summer 2022.

In lieu of flowers, memorials to the following would be appreciated:

Mercy Hospice Fund, 615 S. New Ballas Road, St. Louis, MO 63141-8221 for the loving care that was provided and to Animal Medical Center Mid-America (AMCMA), 11660 Administration Drive, St. Louis, MO 63146 for the animals in need of care.