It's rare that we can send a loved one off to heaven and still have so many precious, earthy memories of a selfless, innocent, joyful, and loving person. Larry left us all of this and so much more. I can just hear him saying with a grin, "No! She's MY Mama!" That boy did LOVE his mama. Of course, we all loved her so much - understandable that he wanted her all to himself.
When Grandma was terminally ill she shared with me that her only real concern about leaving earth was that she was leaving Larry behind. She trusted her other 5 children and her grandchildren to be there for him. They did. I hope that Grandma Drake is looking down from heaven at her children with a sense of pride.
My earliest memories of Larry were from when we lived in Galesburg, Stark, & Erie. Close enough that he saw him more often. My family knows that I HATED veggies as a child. What they may not know is how compassionate Larry Dean was to my plight... I had to sit at the table until my dinner plate was cleaned up. Larry was so good to "help" me with those yucky veggies. ;-)
Christmas was a favorite time of year as we always got together and Larry loved seeing everyone, shooting hoops, throwing a football, singing Christmas carols, swinging, or going bowling. Gosh, can't you just hear him lifting up Jingle Bells and Jesus Loves Me all the way to heaven?!
Lots of family and friends will treasure memories of Larry's Special Olympics events over so many years. I remember the Parsons Rodeo a long time ago. Larry was a true cowboy with a heart as big as Texas!
I'm thankful for this Tribute Wall as a way to share Larry's life stories and vent a little grief as his time here has ended. He left his mark.
