Bill Orlando

August 5, 1953 - February 26, 2022

Bill Orlando died unexpectedly on Feb. 26, 2022, at his home in Shelby, North Carolina. He was 68. For years, Bill and his wife of 42 years Barbara called Martinsburg, West Virginia, home. Bill was known for his love of black coffee, an excellent old fashion, a good cigar, rooting for his beloved Washington Nationals and his love for those he considered family. It is hard to put into words the impact Bill had on people he met and his family. A man with a quick comeback, a sly little smirk and some iconic phrases for some, people knew when he cared about them. Bill spent more than 20 years working for the National Park Service as an interpreter, as a law enforcement officer and a Civil War reenactor. He retired from the National Park Service in 2003 and was able to focus on his passion, cigars. A founding member of the cigar club The Churchill Society in Martinsburg, Bill spent decades advocating for cigar smoker's rights in WV and across the United States. He passed his love for the leaf not only to his wife, son, daughter and other family members, but to countless others he met during his life by his work at King Street Emporium, being a taste tester for multiple companies, and sharing his knowledge of tobacco with others. Bill’s influence and presence in the cigar community will be sorely missed. He spent the last few years traveling between W.Va. and N.C. building his and Barb’s retirement home. Their dreams may have not been realized now, but the dream will live on. Donations can be made in his memory at Cigar Rights of America at cigarrights.org