Larry W. Denison

Today I lost my wonderful husband and truly my very best friend, Larry passed away on January 12, 2021, 5 days short of his birthday, and oh, how he loved his birthday; there was a party every year. Larry passed away at Eagle Crest South after just a short year there. Larry was born in La Crosse on January 17, 1938, to Mildred and William (Bill) Denison.

He attended Central High school and graduated in 1955. Larry went on to follow in his father’s footsteps and became a Master Plumber and Plumbing designer. He held licenses in WI, IA, MN, and FL. Larry owned Denison Plumbing, and his work was mainly commercial projects such as apartments, nursing homes, schools, hotels, and Kwik Trips locally and in 3 states. Larry also proudly served 8 years in the Naval Reserve.

Larry was a kind, generous, respectful and patient man. He loved to talk with people, young and old. He always had time to talk and his trademark was a wink and smile.

Larry leaves behind his wife, Sandy, of 26 years (40 years if you count that 14-year engagement) and daughters, Lori (fiancé, Dick Steinmetz), Paula (Scott) Ulik, Audra (Bradford) Dobesh, Step-children, Alison (Dan) Harper, Capt. John (Crystal) Groeschel and 10 grandchildren; Jacob, Kylie, Ben, Izzy, Kitty, Eleanore, Christian, Jonathan, Jada and Jordan. He never called any children “step”, they all were just “The Kids”. He was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters and two brothers-in-law; Darlyne (Rollie) Chapple, and Dora Mae (James) Molladahl .

Larry had a great love for hunting, fishing, and golf and of course, the Packers. I always used to say to him, “with all the mounts in our home, I feel like we are living at Gander Mountain”. Larry was a Life Member of the Fraternal Order of the Elks, and a Golden Eagle with the Fraternal Order of the Eagles. He also belonged to The Loyal Order of the Moose Club and the American Legion. He served as Commodore of the Pettibone Boat Club and was on the Board of the Builders Association in his working years.
I would like to thank Olga, Rhonda, Nicole and Taylor (her Lar-Bear) for their very loving care of Larry. They worked hard to take my place during Larry’s very long quarantine time and separation from us. I would also like to thank St. Croix Hospice, although they were never allowed to attend to Larry. They were there at the end of life and I would like to thank them for their loving compassionate care.

Larry passed away from Covid “restrictions”, yet never tested positive; he was always negative. I believe his dementia and decline was advanced by the Covid restrictions that he endured. Of Larry’s year in Memory Care, 5-plus months were spent in quarantine and solitary confinement, however, never due to any residents testing positive. He slowly lost that smile, and he soon stopped winking. I believe the loss of family, friends and myself just took a toll on an otherwise very healthy man. I hope and pray the world learns something from this, and the powers that be and the health departments need to understand, especially when dealing with persons with dementia, that guidelines are not laws, and guidelines need to be handled very gently. His daily life, as he knew it, was no more. I fought hard for you Larry, but I never won the battle. I know we will be together again and I know you will be saving that last dance for me.

The service for Larry will be at North Presbyterian Church on La Crosse’s Northside, corner of George St. and North Salem, Monday, January 18, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. with visitation one hour before the service. Pastor Scott Skogen will officiate. Burial will be with immediate family at Mormon Coulee Memorial Park Cemetery. Masks are required, and social distancing observed, please.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Larry’s name may be made to North Presbyterian Church, Wafer Food Pantry or the La Crosse Eagles Club.