Bonnie Dell McAdams

Bonnie Dell McAdams Orr, age 83, of Judsonia passed away on May 8, 2017. She was born in Pleasant Plains on September 18, 1933 to the late Roy and Chlorene McAdams. As a child, Bonnie moved with her family to Judsonia, where her father established his business as a barber. Bonnie became involved in many school activities, but she excelled in basketball. In her senior year of high school, she lead the Judsonia Panthers to a hard-fought, two point victory in an overflowing gymnasium over the Griffithville Eagles in the seesaw finale of the White County Girls Basketball tournament, dubbed the South's Most Spectacular, or SMS. Bonnie was awarded the W.E. Orr Award as Outstanding Player, but it was her runner-up finish in the SMS Beauty Revue and her fashion-forward sense of style that captured the attention of the tournament's founder, W.E. "Ewing" Orr. Following graduation, Ewing courted Bonnie. In spite of an almost 23 year age difference, they married on March 31, 1956. Bonnie was born in the Great Depression. The financial struggles of her family did much to influence her career choice. She was the first in her family to earn bachelors and masters degrees in education from Harding College in Searcy. Bonnie's career as a first grade teacher spanned 30 years in Crawfordsville, Bald Knob, and Judsonia. In the early years, she would have as many as 60 children in her classes, which she managed by forming as many as eight groups for levelized instruction. Each child was special and "Mrs. Orr" worked tirelessly to ensure that the education she provided would allow every student to break their own family cycles of poverty just as she had done. Ewing and Bonnie lived on the Orr family homestead in downtown Judsonia throughout their lives. They had two daughters, Sandra Elaine and Fonda Jo. Bonnie's family life was centered around simple, small town activities that revolved around school and church. These included memberships and volunteer involvements in the Judsonia Methodist Church (Sunday School Director and Board President), the White County Fair, and Delta Kappa Gamma professional society of women's educators (President). Along the way, Bonnie and Ewing made audio recordings of each of the family Christmases from 1958 until 1975. To this day, these recordings are replayed and provide happy memories of the family's early years together. Throughout her life, Bonnie provided wise counsel to family and friends. She would never betray a confidence and could see a problem from all sides while passing no judgments. Bonnie had a gift of empathy and never took the easy way out. After Ewing's stroke in 1982, Bonnie cared for him alone until his death on May 30, 1997, thereby allowing him to convalesce at home instead of a nursing facility. Her selfless sacrifice, however, lead to her own mental and physical problems, which she both endured and overcame throughout the rest of her life. Bonnie is survived by her daughters, Sandra Orr Cassimus (Randy) of Oklahoma City and Fonda McCarty of Searcy; her only grandchild, Journey Donna' McCarty, and Journey's father, Jim McCarty, of Searcy; her sister and brother, Lavetta Stader and Bobby McAdams (Sue) of Judsonia; her sisters, Olga Nell Daugherty (Jerry) and Marolyn McCorkle (Frank) of Searcy; and numerous neices, nephews, extended family, and friends. Visitation will be Wednesday, May 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. and the service will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 11, at Powell Funeral Home in Bald Knob. Interment will follow in Evergreen Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Judsonia Methodist Church or the Searcy Humane Society. Arrangements entrusted to Powell Funeral Home Bald Knob-Judsonia. www.powellfuneralhome.net.