William “Bill” McGillvary Orr 3rd
August 3rd, 1946 – October 28th, 2022
Born on August 3rd 1946, William “Bill” McGillvary Orr 3rd was the eldest of two sons from Gwendolyn (née Bell) and William “Mac” McGillvary Orr Jr. Growing up as a slightly rambunctious child in the small town of Kinston, North Carolina, summers would find him riding his bike from Kinston to Washington, NC, over 40 miles away and over three and a half hours by bike! He did this to spend time with his grandparents and to enjoy the Pamlico River. As a teenager he attended Grainger High School, graduating in 1964. Bill was drafted, spending three years in the US Army, serving as 1st Lieutenant in Army Special Forces from 1969-1970 stationed in My Dien, on the Mekong Delta of Vietnam.
Returning from his tour of duty, Bill attended East Carolina University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree along with a Masters of Business Administration. Becoming a Certified Public Accountant in NC he began his career as a CPA working at Peat, Marwick & Mitchell, then with JD Woolard & Assoc., and eventually with Carolina Power & Light as a financial analyst in Raleigh.
Opportunity then arose in 1988 to join his brother at ComputerLand Northwest in Pikesville, Maryland, as Partner and CFO. This allowed him to settle with his family in Ellicott City, MD. Some 9 years later with the closing of ComputerLand, Bill went to work for NutraMaxin Edgewood, MD. Retirement soon beckoned allowing him to become a member of the Sunrise Rotary Club of Ellicott City from 2001 to 2008.
Throughout his life, Bill enjoyed a multitude of hobbies and passions. He enjoyed running, entering numerous road races including the amazing accomplishment of completing the New York City Marathon. He loved being on the water, sailing in particular, owning several sailboats over the course of his life. A water slalom skier behind a boat, Bill was also an apt snow skier on the slopes. He loved family trips to Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Colorado. He was known forholding his own in the kitchen and on the grill, perhaps best remembered for his amazing hushpuppies (Bill’s trick: to let the mix rise for an hour before frying!). Or was it the massive homemade pan pizzas? Everyone enjoyed whatever he cooked!
Bill learned to draw at a young age having a knack for illustration and painting. This talent lent well to woodworking, designing and building an elegant desk incorporating bookshelves, along with delicate and ornate jewelry boxes. Fond of reading, Bill collected many classic books. Touched by wanderlust in later years, Bill went on a host of cruises and visited countries in Western & Eastern Europe, Caribbean, New Zealand, and southeast Asia, even returning to Vietnam, visiting the area where he was stationed so many years before.
While a bit of an introvert and sometimes a curmudgeon, Bill loved his family, children and stepchildren. What he lacked in patience for adults, he made up for in dotingon his children. Nothing made him beam his smile more than time spent with the “youngins”.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Cecilia (Ces) of Ponte Vedra, FL, formerly married to Pamela Meadows (her death, 2000), son, William “Will” McGillvary Orr 4th of Baltimore, MD, brother, Steve Orr of Hunt Valley, MD, and stepchildren, Jon Goldstein, and wife, Susanne, and grandson, Eli of Lyons, CO, Rachel Bowes, and husband, Kevin, of Salisbury, MD, and Adam Goldstein, of Denver, CO.
The family is planning a memorial service at a later date. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to Philanthropy.mayoclinic.org. Then check the gift option “ make this donation a tribute…”
