90th Orr Reunion held at Ozark Prairie

The Orr Reunion has met at the Ozark Prairie Presbyterian Church since 1937, which marked 100 years since the family of William and Jennie (Adams) Orr arrived in Lawrence County. They had migrated from the parish of Aghadowey, near Coleraine in Londonderry.
From basket dinners in the shade to the air conditioned church addition, attendees have shared good food, stories, updates on family members, and an ‘Orr Trivia Game’ – complete with prizes.
The first reunion had Lawrence County descendants of William and Jennie, George Orr and Elizabeth Brown, the Knox family of Martha Orr and Robert Mitchell, and Jasper County descendants of Ephraim Campbell and Isabella Orr. They were later joined by family of James Orr and Jane Reed of Indiana and the east coast family of Ann Orr and Valentine Shirley.
Early reunions sometimes had more than 100 people. As families dispersed to all parts of the country, there were fewer nearby people and attendance dwindled, sometimes to twenty or so. To be able to go out in style, organizers decided that 2026 – the 90th reunion – would be the last.
The prospect of a final chance to get together drew more than 50 family members from Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Illinois, California, Kansas, New York, Iowa, and Texas. As always, the food was excellent and children and adults created the family lemonade recipe for the last time.
Not many 90-year-old gatherings can say they had one individual who attended the first and last, but Clarice (Keeley Barnes) Amann arrived with family members from Kerrville, Texas. Her grandfather, Alfred (Fred) Orr led the first reunion and his brother George Boyd Orr, was elected the first president. Fred and family were already in Texas, but George owned a furniture store in Mt. Vernon. Clarice was three in 1937 and her family told her the reunion was a party for her.
Fred and George began the reunion at the request of their father, John Adams Orr, the youngest and last child of William and Jennie. He died in 1936, having attended many Campbell family get-togethers in Carthage. His last sibling had died in 1918, and he wanted the continuing family connection for his immediate family and beyond.
Many local families are part of the large Orr clan and have served as officers and historians, including Campbells, Likins, Hickman, and Senekers. The late sheriff, Doug Seneker, was president for 20 years and Kathy Seneker Fairchild has been treasurer for more than 10. The current president is Patrick Orr of Kansas and secretary/historian is Elaine Orr of Illinois. The largest family attending in 2026 was that of William Orr Ray of Claremore, Oklahoma, which arrived with twelve members.
The family plans to keep in touch with its far-flung members via an active email list and a Facebook group.
 
 
Attendee list
Attendees at the 2026 Orr Reunion at Ozark Prairie
 
Mt. Vernon area
Lyle Lomas
Steve and Kathy Fairchild
Matt Oehlschlager
Rylan, Bella, and Masen Oehlschlager
Harriet Seneker
 
Carthage
Gary and Patricia (Campbell) Coates
Carrie Campbell
Kiley Campbell Kyte
Tim Fisher, Kimberly, and Truman Fisher
Pat and Judy (Campbell) Goff
 
Other Missouri Towns
Carolyn Wortley, Springfield
Lisa McElwee and Norah Fisher, Excelsior Springs
Brooklyn and Jessica Ballowe—Gorham, Springfield
Mary Seneker, Springfield
Monica Davis Bryan, Branson
 
Oklahoma
Christopher and Kim Keele
William Orr Ray and Emma Lou
Cindy and Will Hefner
John Orr Ray, Stephanie, Ethan and Shephard Ray
William Scott and Angel Ray
Barbara and Martin Biggs
 
Texas
Clarice Amann
Lola Barnes, Jacob, and Jadice Barnes
Heather MacAllister
 
Other States
Mark and Karen Seneker, Arkansas
Bruce Matteson, New York
Kirk and Kayla Matteson, California
Howard Hill, Iowa
Rana Matteson, Illinois
Elaine Orr, Illinois
Patrick and Vicky Orr and Dondi Watson, Kansas
Carolyn Norton (family friend), Kansas