U.S. Marine veteran Ivy Unruh, in an undated photo. A 25-year-old veteran who was gunned down outside her Kansas home earlier this month saved the lives of six people through organ donation. (GoFundMe)
A 25-year-old Marine Corps veteran gunned down outside her Kansas home earlier this month saved the lives of six people through organ donation, her family said.
Ivy Unruh died last week of wounds from an April 17 shooting. Her estranged husband, Joshua Orlando, is charged with first-degree murder in the case.
As an organ donor, she had “planned to continue being a hero and saving lives even after she was no longer with us,” her family said in a statement posted on GoFundMe.
A satellite communications technician in the Marine Corps until late 2024, Unruh had been working as a broadcast engineer at PBS Kansas, according to her LinkedIn profile. She served four years in the Marine Corps, reaching the rank of sergeant, according to the service.
“(Six) humans that still have life and get to go home to their families because of her,” the statement said. “She saved those 6 people but it will impact well beyond that for every loved one that gets to hug their family member a little longer.”
Photos online showed veterans from American Legion Post 136 in Mulvane lining the halls at Wichita’s Wesley Medical Center the evening of April 20 as part of an “honor walk.”
During such ceremonies, family, friends and hospital staffers line up to pay tribute as an organ donor is wheeled to the operating room.
The scene came three days after Unruh was found with a gunshot wound to her upper body. She was rushed to the hospital in grave condition, Wichita police said in a statement.
Co-workers at the station were shocked at the news of her death. PBS Kansas President Victor Hogstrom told local ABC affiliate KAKE that he slammed his desk with both hands when he heard.
“It makes no sense to me,” he said.
Officers found a gun at the scene and later booked Orlando, 29, into the county jail on suspicion of aggravated battery, the statement said. Unruh and Orlando were married but separated, according to the statement.
After Unruh’s death, the charge was upgraded, police said. Orlando is being held on a $300,000 bond, KAKE reported.
Unruh had moved into her own place and was trying to avoid Orlando, Hogstrom said. She had told her supervisor about him, and the station took steps about a year ago to protect her while she was at work.
“We established a code word here in case he came back,” Hogstrom said. “Our receptionist would just say the code word and we know something’s gone wrong up front.”
Unruh was assigned to Marine Wing Communications Squadron 38 at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., and completed a deployment to Australia during her service, the Marine Corps said. Her awards included the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
Unruh came from a line of veterans. Spc. Robert Oliver Unruh, her uncle, was killed in 2004 while serving in Al Anbar province in Iraq. Her grandfather Dennis Unruh was an Army veteran who died in 2021.
