James Michael Orr ¹

  General Notes:

--Published in The Alaska Dispatch News, 01/09/2016:

James Michael Orr was born in Milwaukee, Wis., and died peacefully on Jan. 5, 2016, at the Golden Living Center (GLC) nursing home in Fort Atkinson, Wis.

After the family moved to Seattle, Wash., during WWII, Jim picked up the violin at 5, became concertmaster his senior year at Edmonds High School in 1955, and earned a music scholarship.

He played the violin for more than 70 years, including in symphony orchestras in three states; his last performance was a 2012 Christmas special in Madison, Wis., while still at GLC. He would play compositions by Bach, Vivaldi, Haydn and Mozart, and then go home to play a simple tune for a grandson.

When health issues affected his mobility at GLC, he would still play in the home's Alzheimer's wing, and then play for other residents' birthdays, anniversaries, other special occasions and for holiday celebrations.

He continued until Parkinson's Disease took away his manual dexterity in early 2015.

He served in the Army National Guard, and later worked at the Seattle Children's Home and other, similar facilities. He worked at General Motors facilities in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Indiana.

In August 1969, he married Sara, who had four children. Besides his music, his pension for sports led him to help organize a semi-pro football team in Washington; and later he got involved with baseball and basketball teams while at GM.

Retiring from GM in Ft. Wayne, Ind., he had a heart attack and a bout with cancer; they eventually moved back to Wisconsin, to be near Sara's family. A divorce after nearly 42 years stemmed from medical factors not understood until after the fact. In his more lucid moments, he said that was his life's greatest regret.

He was hospitalized after head injuries from falls in 2012, and his younger brother, Charles, came down from Alaska to obtain guardianship.

Jim is survived by his ex-wife, Sara; her four children, Sharon Van Horn of Pennsylvania, Diane Rosenberry of Wisconsin, Marilyn Reid of Indiana, and Merry Jo Marietta of Florida; and many grandchildren.

Charles is his only surviving immediate family member. He was predeceased by his father, George, in 1954; and mother, Joanne, in 2008; and by grandparents, William Harrison Orr and Caroline Perpetua Felsman Orr of St. Ignatius, Mont., and Mike Mandy and Marie Haugen Mandy of Ladysmith, Wis.

Jim will be laid to rest with his parents in Seattle's Evergreen Washelli cemetery. Summing up Jim's life in three words: Humble Violinist Man.