Karen Maedelle Orr

Karen Orr December 22, 1920 � December 6, 2010 Karen "Makey" Orr, 89, of Waco, went to be with the Lord, December 6, 2010, at Providence Hospital in Waco. She had been in the care of an incredible team of angles from Providence Hospice. In her final moments, she was surrounded by her daughter, granddaughter and close friend who absolutely adored her. A celebration of Makey's life will be held in the Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Garden Room at 6:00 pm on Thursday, December 16. Makey was born December 22, 1920, in Lawson, Missouri, to Willie J. and Lalla Mae Carder. She was a 1938 graduate of Waco High School, and attended Baylor University where she met her best friend and the absolute love of her life, Eddie "Poppa" Z Orr, Jr. They were married in 1940 and spent 67 years of joy together by each other's side. Makey's love for God and her commitment to walk in the steps of Jesus profoundly impacted the lives of those who knew and loved her. Her life was defined by her often times candid and always giving nature, as well as the way she made people feel loved and welcome in her home or RV, wherever she and Eddie were travelling at the time. A typical day for Makey began early preparing breakfast and coffee for Pop and her to share together. Whenever possible, she would either spend the morning outside in her beautiful garden, on the golf course with the girls, or with a bucket of minnows on Lake Waco fishing for crappie. Regardless of what she was doing in the morning, she always found her way back home to prepare lunch for her family and friends. Makey knew how to cherish the moment and enjoyed the simple pleasures of life. Her love for the outdoors that she shared with Pop allowed her to be with God's creatures and to always have fresh fruits and vegetables from her garden. On any given day, she would always have a bountiful harvest of canned peaches, apricot jam, fresh tomatoes, peppers, onions, squash, beans and anything that would grow in her garden. Later in life, she and Pop developed a love for birds of all kinds and always had an assortment of feeders, bird baths and even had a loyal group of hummingbirds that she and Pop named and always found pleasure in. While she loved all birds, she had a special fondness for momma and poppa red bird, whose presence was always announced with great excitement to anyone at her home at the time. While in Rockport her favorites were the pelicans. She had a particular passion for cooking and a love for all bodies of water, especially her "baited" boat dock on Lake Waco and anywhere the fish were biting at, she and Pop's favorite home away from home on the Texas coast in Rockport. Next to her husband and children, her grandchildren were the love of her life. Whether on the golf course, crappie fishing, bird watching, in the kitchen sharing her love cooking, outside in the garden, patiently teaching her grandchildren the "arts" of painting, crafts, crochet, or simply singing her favorite songs around her piano, Makey was an ever-present part of their lives. Regardless of the time of day, her home was always warm and welcoming for anyone who dropped by. The smell of home cooked meals, the sounds of her favorite easy listening channel from the kitchen, and a heart felt "you-hoo" to anyone who came to visit was always present when she was home. She will be dearly missed by her 4 grandkids and 8 great grandkids. While she will certainly be missed, the family finds great comfort knowing that Makey lived a full and blessed life, but more importantly that she has at last been reunited with her loving husband and now spends her days in the presence of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Makey was preceded in death by her husband, Eddie Z. Orr, Jr; her parents; her mother and father in law; her son-in-law, Jim Barlow; and her daughter-in-law, Dianne Orr. Makey is survived by her son, Bill Orr of Houston; her daughter, Karen Barlow, of Waco; close family friend, Allison McCain; her grandchildren, Kris Barlow, Jennifer Barlow Lynch and husband, Dusty, Amy Orr Pham, and Austin Orr; her great-grandchildren, Clark Barlow, Ali Lee Barlow, Addison Paige Barlow, Koehne Ann Barlow, Patton Ann Lynch, Alexis Raye Lynch, Camryn Grace Pham, Carder Gold Pham; her brother, W.A. Carder; her brother-in-law, David L. Orr and wife, Wanda. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Meals & Wheels, PO Box 85 Waco, TX 76701. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our "Memorial Guestbook" at www.WilkirsonHatchBailey.com. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our "Memorial Guestbook" at www.WilkirsonHatchBailey.com.