[2][3][4][5] Orr's position as a state First Gentleman, an unusual political occupation for a man at the time, earned him national attention.
[3][7] Orr's cookbook included recipes contributed by Nancy Reagan, Warren Buffett, Johnny Carson, and Katharine Hepburn.
[8][9] The Orrs lived in Illinois until 1963, when the couple moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, so Bill could take a job with Woodman Insurance.
[7] At the time of his wife's election as governor in 1986, Orr was an executive for the Woodmen, where he served as the senior vice president and director of agency and marketing operations.
[3] He had begun cooking, which he described "as my secret passion," after his wife entered politics, likening the recipes he found to the "Dead Sea Scrolls.
[3][7] Bill Orr described the interior design of the mansion, constructed in 1957, as "early Holiday Inn" telling reporters that "We can do better than that.
"[7] People magazine described Orr as "deploring the decor of the Governor's mansion" prior to the renovation, which was funded by his cookbook.
[10] Orr's project attracted attention from the national media as well, including People, Fortune, and The New York Times.
[10] Orr jokingly founded the R.G.H., or Republican Governors' Husbands, which he referred to as the most exclusive club in the U.S., since he was the only member.
[3] He remained an active member of the Eagle Scouts, the local Rotary Club 14, and an elder with Christ Lutheran Church.
[10] Bill Orr died from a long illness with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at his home in Lincoln, Nebraska, on May 5, 2013, at the age of 78.