Nancy (Morrison) Orthwein, Grand Slam tennis player, dies

Nancy (Morrison) Orthwein, the granddaughter of Florida pioneers, died Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015, at her home in West Palm Beach. She was 88.

Born June 21, 1927, in Washington D.C., she was the daughter of Kathryn Morrison and Frederick DaCamara.

In 1901 her grandfather, Florida pioneer William Harley DaCamara, moved his family from Deland to Palm Beach and founded the Palm Beach Mercantile Co. He remained its president until his death in 1932.

Mrs. Orthwein grew up in Palm Beach with her brothers Fred and Bill, and graduated from Rollins College. An accomplished athlete, she was inducted into the college’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Her greatest passion was tennis. Nationally ranked 15th in singles and fourth in doubles with her partner Barbara (Scofield) Davidson, she played in the French Open, U.S. Open and Wimbledon.

Mrs. Orthwein was a member of the Bath & Tennis Club, the St. Louis Country Club, the Cooperstown Country Club and was a former member of the Everglades Club.

She was the wife of Adolphus “Dolph” Busch Orthwein. They had been married 51 years when he died in 2013.

In her later years Mrs. Orthwein also lived in Cherry Valley, N.Y., and St. Louis.

Survivors include her sons Michael Harley Montgomery and Christopher DaCamara Orthwein; daughters-in-law Mimi Montgomery and Binkie Orthwein; grandchildren Andrew, Ashley and Laura Montgomery, and Theodore, Henry and Wyatt Orthwein; stepchildren Dolph Jr., Steve, Peter and David Orthwein; as well as numerous step-grandchildren and step-great grandchildren.

Her daughter, Linda Joy Montgomery, and her brothers Fred and Bill Morrison predeceased her.

The funeral will be private. Memorials will take place later this year in Palm Beach and St. Louis.

Donations may be made to Hospice of Palm Beach County/TrustBridge Health, 5300 East Ave., West Palm Beach, 33407 or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 26 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10004.