Obituary of Larry James Carr

Larry James Carr, husband and best friend to Gladys (Harman) Carr, went home to be with his Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, at the age of 81, on January 30, 2024. He passed away very peacefully in the hospital in the loving presence of his family.

Larry was born on January 12, 1943, in Dresden, Ontario to Morley and Marjorie (Keats) Carr. He is predeceased by both his hard-working dad and his feisty and loving mom, as well as his younger, artistically creative brother, Paul Carr and younger, fun-loving, courageous and compassionate sister, Susan (Dan) Kaiser.

Left to honour Larry's long and full life is his caring wife, and devoted companion on their 57-year journey together, Gladys Carr; his four daughters, Cindy (Bruce) Maurer from Arkansas, Tracey Carr from Ontario, Christine (Koddi) Goreham from Alberta, and Debbi (John) Porter from Ontario. Larry will also be dearly missed by his beautiful sisters, Linda (Bruce) Christensen, Carolyn Walker and Sheri Carr who all loved spending time with "the best big brother they could ask for" who they knew loved and cared for them. Fourteen grandchildren will miss their grandpa's punny disposition, many practical expressions of love, witty fun and keen interest in their lives: Katie, Kara, Connor, Callie, Carson, Mackenzie, Georgia, Matthias, Eliana, Karina, Aidan, Jackson, Tommy, and Micah. Many nieces and nephews have cherished memories with their Uncle Larry.

Larry grew up on the family farm on Lambton Line in Dawn Township, playing ball, riding bikes and working hard pulling weeds with his siblings. Pranks, teasing and scaring his sisters and mom with snakes brought amusement for him. So many fun stories of growing up with Larry have been shared by his sisters over the years. Larry attended a one-room schoolhouse in Dawn Valley in his early years, went on to high school in Dresden, and then finished out his education at the Ridgetown Agricultural College.

Giving into his adventurous spirit at the age of 19, Larry courageously took a bus out to Manitoba where he began work on the Hamilton’s farm. His "adorably shy" personality and strong, tall, dark and handsome presence was soon noticed by Gladys and a friendship blossomed into a dating relationship. Some of their dates consisted of taking their nieces and nephews on picnic outings. After beginning work with Manitoba Telephone System, Larry and Gladys married in 1966 and began their family in Winnipeg.

Life took Larry and Gladys back to Ontario next door to the family farm where they raised their four daughters. Larry worked for Bell Canada and did farming, providing opportunities for his girls to be involved in sports, piano lessons and youth activities, and to have an idyllic farm girl upbringing that included many furry friends, forts, a hay loft, a playhouse with electricity, and so many fun experiences.  Larry role-modeled love, integrity, kindness, faith and devotion, and didn’t hesitate to support his daughters in driving tractors, wielding hammers and tools, or doing other things that built their confidence and conveyed his belief in them. Once each of their girls had moved out, Larry and Gladys chose to begin a new chapter in the Niagara region, giving them the chance to be near some of their grandchildren. New friendships flourished and their home became a welcome stop for travelling friends and relatives.

Larry was more than willing to help out wherever needed and went above and beyond in his care for others. His sense of humour was infectious, his wit was brilliant, and he had a way of putting anyone at ease. Most of all, the legacy of faith in Christ that Larry lived out will continue to have far-reaching effects on those the Lord placed in his path. He was kind and caring, and loved being part of his church family, particularly through their life group. Larry valued singing of God's goodness and now is able to experience His goodness face to face. Imagine the rejoicing!

Larry received incredible support through the last few months of his life through a wonderful and ever-expanding community of people praying, and from dedicated health professionals at the Niagara Health System (St. Catharines).  His family would like to express deep and heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Lorraine Jensen, Nurse Practitioner Scott Gibson, and the expert and caring staff on 2A, particularly Debbie Kruger and Ashleigh Koop, who provided such wise, compassionate and skilled support to Larry while he was in hospital.

Visitation will take place at Tallman Funeral Homes at 3277 King Street, Vineland, Ontario on Thursday, February 1^st from 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm.  The funeral service will be held at 10:30 am on Friday, February 2^nd at Central Community Church, 680 York Road, Niagara on the Lake, Ontario.  In lieu of flowers, Larry’s family invites donations to Community Crew, a program offered by the church that Larry attended that reflects his love of children and his generous heart that was always willing to help others in need.

The funeral service will be live streamed. To view the livestream at the time of the service, please click here - Larry Carr Livestream