David Lee Orr passed away at age 77 on September 29, 2025, while doing what he loved. Dave was born on May 19, 1948, in Chattanooga, Tennessee and was the son of two wonderful parents, Thomas Lee Orr and Mary Katherine Waddell Orr.
Dave’s passion in life was sports. In his youth, he excelled in baseball, football, and basketball. His team’s success during this period earned him opportunities to play football championship games at Miami Stadium and basketball games at Georgia Tech Coliseum. He made the varsity basketball team at Southwest Dekalb High School when he was in the 9th grade and would remain a starting point guard until his graduation in 1966. He began playing golf at an early age and the passion for golf stayed with him his entire life. For years he spent 7 days a week on a golf course; if he didn’t have time to play a round, he would always hit a few buckets of balls daily. He was at the golf course that fatal Monday when he suffered a heart attack. He passed away enjoying what he loved. Even though he was 6 years older than his brother Del, he was always willing to take whatever time necessary to teach Del about life and about sports.
During the height of the Vietnam War, Dave served 4 years as a jet mechanic in the United States Air Force and was honorably discharged in 1971. After returning from overseas, Dave’s last duty station was at Patick Air Force Base in Florida, and he spent most of his remaining years residing in Florida. As a mechanic, he never liked his hands being dirty all the time, so after the Air Force he elected to enter the mortgage business and spent 35+ years as a Mortgage Broker in Florida. After retirement, He worked for Riviera Golf Course in Daytona Beach for 15 years. In 2023, he and his wife moved to Rome, Georgia to be near family, and he began working for Stone Bridge Golf Course.
Survivors include his wife, Dorothy Anne Haller; two stepchildren, Rebecca Myrick (Shon) and Robert Haller (Barbara); a grandson, Hayden Myrick; a brother, Thomas “Del” Orr (Amy); a niece, Erica Orr; a nephew, Clayton Orr; several cousins and friends.
In accordance with his wishes, Mr. Orr will be cremated. No formal services are planned at this time.
Henderson & Sons Funeral Home, North Chapel and Crematory, Rome, Georgia, is honored to serve the family of Mr. David Lee Orr.
