Hundreds Attend Memorial Service for Steve Orr [VIDEO]

Chow fans, gun enthusiasts, computer geeks, political insiders and Town Meeting members, along with family, friends and individuals, who never met him, crowded into Village Hall Saturday morning to pay tribute to the late Steve Orr.

I am generalizing those in attendance, but only to show how many people Orr touched during his 58 years. He

His wife Krystine, wearing Orr's trademark cowboy hat, laughed and cried - and even added a few tales of her own - as speaker after speaker told their favorites memories of Orr, at a memorial service organized by State Rep. Chris Walsh.

Orr's younger brother Ron started the event, with a comical tale of sibling love. 

Ron said his first memory of Steve was him trying to drown him in Walden Pond. It was the first of many practical jokes Orr would play throughout his life, Ron told the crowd of hundreds.

"Steve loved people," said close friend Andy Limeri. "He loved to be with friends and make outrageous statements and jokes. Even if what he had to say was mundane, he looked for an outrageous way to say it. His flair for hyperbole caused him a bit of grief, a couple threatened lawsuits, and one real lawsuit over the years."

"Steve was a lovable renegade," said close friend Cynthia Laurora. "He got me involved in town politics, as he did many people."

"It was real 'Animal Crackers' around Steve in Framingham. He just made politics so much more fun," said Laurora.

Orr, founder of Frambors, an e-list with more than 2,500 subscribers, had a Groucho Marx quote at the bottom of every post: "Time flies like the wind. Fruit flies like a banana."

"There will never be another Steve Orr," said Laurora. "I mourn the loss of the person who brought fun, curiosity and theatre not just to town politics but to everyday life."

Orr, didn't grow up in Framingham, but developed a passion for his adopted hometown. He encouraged many to get involved and do more than complain. He also held people accountable. No one could post to his Frambors/Framcom, without signing their real first and last name.

Selectman Laurie Lee said she wouldn't have become involved in politics or run for Selectman, if not for Orr.

"What a large part of my life he was," said Lee.

"He really wanted to engage people," said Lee. "Steve was absolutely fearless with his free expression and had no qualms about testing the limits."

Former Selectman Ginny Marino wore a cowboy hat to pay homage to her friend.

"There was something about him that was very unique. There was something about him that was very loving. There was something about him that made him the biggest pain in the ass I have ever met in my life," said Marino.

Marino told tales of Steve and his wife Krystine and then thanked her for sharing "her husband with a whole town."

Limeri, also wearing a hat to pay tribute to his friend, told a tale which combined Orr's love of humor and his beloved dog.

"When we would walk his dog together, people would often ask him what kind of dog Gustov was. Steve would invariably say that he was a 'Czechoslovakian Cheese Hound.' He said it with a straight face, though it was a little hard to tell under that beard, and a surprising number of people seemed to believe him. I would often tell them that Steve was a congenital liar and the dog was a Chow-Chow.  I’m not sure who they believed." 

"Steve is irreplaceable and I will miss him," concluded Limeri.

Friends and Frambors moderators Kathy Vassar and Linda Dunbrack, who attended Saturday's service, are Dunbrack suggested Sunday calling, the list "FrambOrrs," in honor of Orr.

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Many have already paid tribute to Orr on his obituary post and a tribute report on Framingham Patch. Please add your memories of Orr to the comment below or on one of the other posts.