Claudia and Gene Orr: Blanding Encounters Through the Years

1) In 1959 we moved to the suburbs of Tacoma, WA to be near Ft. Lewis where Gene was stationed in the army. One of our home teachers was Wayne Nolan Wilcox.  When Steve and Janet Wilcox moved to Blanding in the early 70's I asked if they knew him. Steve and he were 2nd cousins.  Wayne and his wife took us youngsters under their wings and were so good to us. They invited us for Thanksgiving dinner. We visited with them several times. When we went to church we found that there were three couples from Blanding besides us; Tommy Lyman, Park Guymon and their wives (whose names I don't remember) and George and Judy Peterson. George grew up in my neighborhood.

2) In 1983 I attended church in Odense, Denmark. Afterward I was on a bus and a couple who were also at the church asked where I was from. When I told them they said, "Oh, we have been there." They have friends in Salt Lake whom they had visited and who brought them to Blanding to go deer hunting. They were able to describe the area where they hunted in such way that I pretty much knew about where it was. Of course, I also met quite a few people while in Denmark who knew our son Larry who had served mission there.

3) I don't remember what year we were at Cyprus Gardens in Florida but we ran into a missionary couple and stopped to talk to them. They turned out to be Glen Erickson's in-laws. He was teaching school here at the time.

4) One time when we were in Nauvoo we ran into Lee and Bufaye Reynolds who had taught school in Blanding.

5) We saw some of Don Brown's family at Disneyland in 1980. It seems like no matter where we go there's always someone who has been to Blanding or knows someone from here. I was on a shuttle at JFK Airport one time and the driver asked a few of us where we were from. When I told him, he talked about having been to the Natural Bridges. 

Missionary Connections in Far Away places

By Claudia Orr,

I think it's amazing the number of coincidences that happen to make it a smaller world. I was reading some of the letters Kevin wrote when he was in London (1992). He said that he and his comp were riding in the Tube (subway) and a guy asked where he was from and when he said Blanding, Utah.  The guy asked if he knew Kenneth Hunt. He said that Kenneth baptized him several years previously. 

Kevin is remembered: Feb. 18, 2018
Thank you to the UBECC and Ivan Merrell for letting Kaylee Orr present the Kevin Orr Memorial Service Award. It is such a special thing that they do in memory of Kevin and it means the world to our family. Jeremey Raymond and Shane Daybell were awarded it for their outstanding service to the community for going above and beyond. Congratulations to both of them.

Jeff went on a mission to Finland and only had one baptism, The guy's wife was very apposed to him being baptized, so Jeff didn't think he would remain active. Over 25 years later Jeff's nephew, Baylen went on a mission to Finland also. He was a zone leader and had business of some sort in Helsinki. He was only there for one Sunday and was asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting. Afterward this guy goes up to him and asked if he by chance knew a Jeff Orr. He said he had baptized him. Jeff was really happy to hear that the guy and his wife are active in the church. He probably would never have known about it if Bay had not had that assignment in Helsinki that day.