“She lives on:” Tucson Marine saves six lives through organ donation after domestic violence tragedy
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – A Tucson native and Marine Corps veteran is being remembered as a hero after her life was cut short in a tragic act of domestic violence.
Born and raised in the Old Pueblo, 25-year-old Ivy Unruh was known for her headstrong nature and high-achieving spirit.
“You couldn’t shake her,” her father, Matthew Jellison, said. “She had a spine. She was tough. She’d bite. She could be a little beast.”
A former varsity athlete at Palo Verde High, she displayed her trademark determination by graduating early from Compᴀss High to pursue a lifelong dream of joining the military.
“Everyone told her, ‘Well, at least you’re not doing the Marines; they’re the toughest, they’re the hardest,’” Jellison said. “Immediately, Ivy, being our kid, said, ‘That’s the one I want to do.’”
Unruh served four years in the Marine Corps, reaching the rank of sergeant. Specializing in radio frequency and satellite communications, she was last ᴀssigned to the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego and earned multiple awards, including medals for good conduct.
She later worked as a broadcast engineer at PBS Kansas for about a year and a half.
The 25-year-old was tragically killed in a domestic-violence related shooting outside her home in Wichita, Kansas on April 17.
Unruh filed for divorce and moved away from her estranged husband, Joshua Orlando.
Police said Orlando ambushed his wife outside her apartment. Jellison said Orlando had been camping outside her home, waiting for her to leave for work.
“It’s quite apparent she was up four or five stairs away from him because the bullet angle is from her turning away to retreat,” Jellison said.
Jellison said Orlando sH๏τ his daughter in the head. He then placed the weapon on the ground and called 911.
“She really did the best she could,” Jellison said. “But when there’s evil … there’s only so much anyone can do.”
Unruh died days later in the hospital.
Jellison said that because of the quick response from a nearby police officer who began life-saving measures, Unruh remained stable enough for organ donation.
Though her family faces an unimaginable loss, they find solace in knowing that Unruh’s legacy of service continues even now, as she gives life to others.
“She lives on,” Jellison said through tears.
Jellison confirmed that six lives were saved through her donation, including a 13-year-old girl who received one of Unruh’s kidneys.
Friends, fellow Marines, and veterans held an Honor Walk in the hospital halls to pay their respects to the fallen sergeant.
Unruh will be celebrated on Memorial Day at a service in Kansas before being returned to her home state.
She will be laid to rest at the Southern Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Sierra Vista on June 5, where she will join her uncle, a veteran killed in the Iraq War, and her grandfather, a three-tour Vietnam veteran.
Jellison hopes his daughter’s story serves as a stark warning to others in toxic or dangerous situations.
“I don’t care if you’re a guy or you’re a girl … if you’re in a situation that’s dangerous and unhealthy and toxic, get out of it 110%,” Jellison urged. “My daughter was salt of the earth, but that was the one thing she couldn’t do is sever this ᴅᴇᴀᴅly tie 110%, or she might still be here.”
Orlando has been charged with first-degree premeditated murder and is currently being held on a $1.5 million bond.
✓ Ryan Mitchell
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – A Tucson native and Marine Corps veteran is being remembered as a hero after her life was cut short in a tragic…