Samuel Orr

Stonington - Samuel J. Orr, 85, of Naples, Fla., formerly of Suffield, husband of L. Ruth (Philpott) Orr, died Monday, Jan. 10, 2005, after a brief illness.

Born on March 5, 1919, in West Suffield, he was the son of the late Samuel J. and Hattie (Dibble) Orr.

Samuel studied agricultural economics at the University of Connecticut and went on to obtain his master's degree in agricultural economics from the University of Kentucky, where he became a Kentucky Colonel.

In 1941, Sam entered the U.S. Army, and served our country during World War II. He served for two years in Saipan as a Quarter Master Depot Commander, before reaching the rank of Lt. Colonel. After the war, Samuel came home to work in agricultural management and ultimately became manager of the Conn-Mass Tobacco Cooperative.

In his early forties, Samuel went back to school to obtain his law degree. Sam first practiced law in West Hartford with his lifelong friend, Edward Kuehn, and then went on to open his own practice in Suffield. He was also a restaurant entrepreneur for over 30 years. In 1969 Samuel was elected to the first of what would be three terms, totaling 13 years, as Judge of Probate for the town of Suffield.

He was a past member of the Suffield Rotary Club, Apollo Lodge, Republican Town Committee, past chairman of the Suffield Police Commission, Volunteer Fire Department, past member of the Longmeadow Country Club, was past president of the Suffield Country Club, and was a founding member of the Eagle Creek Country Club in Florida. Samuel establined scholarships at the University of Connecticut for students from Suffield and the surrounding communities.

He leaves his wife, L. Ruth Orr, of Naples, Fla., and Stonington,; two sons, Edward P. Grace III, and his wife, Holly, of Windermere, Fla., and Samuel J. Orr III, and his wife, Kristin, of Stonington; two daughters, Patricia O. Smith, of Meredith, N.H., and Gail G. Aills,, and her husband, Samuel, of Ponte Vedra, Fla.; eight grandchildren, Michael J. Smith, Karen Goldberg, James J. Shea, Edward P. Grace IV, Charles H. Grace, Samuel P. Grace, Lindsey R. Orr, and Ryan Samuel Orr; and six great-grandchildren, Joshua and Rachel Goldberg and Sean, Erin, Meghan and Katie Maher.

He was predeceased by his wife, Nance H. Orr; a daughter, Sarah H. Grace; and three sisters, Evelyn Henderson, Marjorie Clough, and Janice Gometz.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the First Church of Christ Congregational, 81 High St., Suffield. His family will receive friends from 3:30 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Nicholson & Carmon Funeral Home, 443 East St., Suffield.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Suffield Volunteer Ambulance Association, P.O. Box 642, Suffield, CT 06078 or the American Red Cross Tsunami Relief Fund, P.O. Box 97089, Washington, D.C. 20090-7089 or the Suffield Veteran's Memorial, c/o Town of Suffield, 83 Mountain Road, Suffield, CT 06078.