Noted collector / S&W distributor Bill Orr passes

[wordsmith]

Another of the 'old time' S&W collectors has left us, Willam J. "Bill" Orr, passed away early this morning at his home in Georgetown, Texas after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease. Funeral services will be scheduled later this week, he will be buried beside his late wife of 49 years, Charlotte, in the National Cemetery in Chattanooga, TN.

Born in Chattanooga on March 25, 1933, Bill was, along with Charlotte, a graduate of the University of Georgia. They married in 1957 after his Army service and in their early years together, Bill, already an avid S&W collector, managed an appliance store and bought & sold guns out of his garage and the trunk of his car, while Charlotte taught school.

Granted a Colt distributorship in 1966, Bill continued to run the appliance store for another six years while peddling new and used guns as fast & hard as he could go. In 1972, with the assistance of his good friend at Smith & Wesson, Roy Jinks, Bill obtained a S&W law-enforcement distributorship and together he and Charlotte founded GT Distributors. By the time of Charlotte's passing in 2007 "GT" (Georgia-Tennessee, the building sits on the GA-TN state line in Rossville, GA) they had, along with their children, Jim and Lori, expanded their operations into other states and around the world eventually becoming one of the largest full-line law-enforcement and security distributorships in the marketplace, not to mention one of the oldest, with offices and showrooms now in multiple states.

Bill was the consummate "collector's collector", one of the original group of S&W enthusiasts who formally founded the S&WCA in 1970, a man who built two world-class S&W collections many years apart, plus a wonderful collection of John Dickson & Son English shotguns that were used regularly during his 30 years of hunting in Scotland and South America. He was a friend to everyone, always willing to help and apt to teach and, most importantly, still continue himself to learn more about our hobby and the guns themselves.

He was my close friend for 35 years and, along with the late Mike Stuckslager, co-sponsored my S&WCA application in 1983. Bill was as good to me as my own Dad, I will miss him very much.


VISITATION
Thursday
August 24, 2017
5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Heritage Funeral Home
3239 Battlefield Pkwy
Fort Oglethorpe, GA 30742 Directions

FUNERAL SERVICE
Friday
August 25, 2017
12:30 PM
Heritage Funeral Home Chapel,
Burial immediately following at
Chattanooga National Cemetery

David Carroll

[ladder13]

May Bill RIP

[Masterpiece]

Rest In Peace Bill...You were one of the Finest S&W Collectors I've ever had the pleasure of being acquainted with...You'll be missed by many!!

[snake803]

Rest in peace Bill
SWCA #10 LIFE
JIM....................

[PALADIN85020]

Sorry to hear this. R.I.P., Bill.

John

[usm1rifle]

David, sorry you lost a good friend. Although I never met Mr. Orr, I only hear positive things about him. The collector world mourns his passing.

[Jebus35745]

Don't believe I met Bill at some of the SWCA events but everyone said he was a great person, would treat everyone like part of his family. Will say some prayers for him, may he Rest In Peace. Larry

[wordsmith]

Visitation & service times added to initial post.

DC

[JayFramer]

Man, sounds like he was loaded, no pun intended! Sad to see another of us gone to the great beyond. Prayers sent!