My name is Darlene Katz Dobbins. I live in Arlington Heights, Il. I knew Larry when he was a little boy and his father, Commander Lawrence Woodruff was stationed at what was then Glenview Naval Air Station. I was good friends with young Larry’s sister, Marilyn. After the war ended they moved back to CA and we lost touch. I would love to hear from anyone in Larry’s family. I have such wonderful memories of the Woodruff family. If anyone is interested, please contact me I would love to reminisce with the family. And maybe fill in some blanks from a time long gone by.

It’s hard to imagine life without Larry. He’s been such a big part of our existence for the past 35 years. He was always supportive.

In the early days, Larry was Wayne’s boss and mentor. Larry had a special knack for providing opportunities to those around him that thrust them into the limelight. Larry volunteered Wayne to lead a three-month study to lay out options for the future of the entire nuclear weapons complex and brief it to the Director’s Advisory Committee. It was an audacious challenge. Larry had an infectious enthusiasm for whatever he was working on that was contagious to those around him and made such challenges welcome. But everything was not just business. Larry and Sylvia regaled us with delightful parties at their house where we got to know their other friends and family.

Over the years, what started as a work relationship grew to include weekend trips to Strawberry to enjoy Larry’s historic family cabin on the Stanislaus River, getting up early on Monday mornings to drive back to work. Larry also introduced us to the joys of Pinecrest Lake, first by inviting us to their newly purchased cabin there (which he wanted us to buy) and then by calling two years later to tell us a nearby cabin was for sale on the lake. We bought it. Soon Larry delivered an 8x10 picture of our cabin, with Wayne’s face superimposed on the Pope hanging in mid-air, blessing the cabin. We also traveled with Larry and Sylvia to China, Lake Powell and Antarctica. Sylvia’s sister, Mercedes, frequently joined us, adding to the fun and excitement. Of course, there were occasional upsets along the way. In the middle of the night at Lake Powell the wind broke us loose from our moorings. We were awakened by a big thud as the boat hit a rock squarely between the two propellers. Larry remained cool and collected throughout it all. After securing the boat more carefully that night, we cruised on in the following days to enjoy glorious sights, including kayaking into deep slot canyons lined with red rock. Not surprisingly, Larry and Sylvia became our favorite travel companions.

After Larry’s retirement, we also started a tradition of going to breakfast at 8:15am, followed by walks along the arroyo, whenever we were all at home on Saturday morning. We updated each other about our travels and developments in our families. Wayne and Larry would also discuss the current state of national security affairs and the latest happenings at the Lab. After a gap of several months, one of these breakfasts lasted through lunch and an ice cream snack in mid-afternoon because we had so much to catch up on. Over all these years, we came to recognize that Larry and Sylvia had adopted us as part of their extended family. There could be nothing better! A week before Larry died I couldn’t get my boat to start to get to our cabin across Pinecrest Lake. Larry loaned me his boat and he and Sylvia invited me to stay overnight at R2, their second river cabin. On the spur of the moment, Sylvia prepared a delicious dinner. The next day Larry and Sylvia came to the marina carrying deck chairs to sit on the gangway while they watched and offered support as I struggled to start the boat.

Larry remains a big part of us and we will always remember his quick wit, his enthusiasm for new adventures, his intense caring and support for everyone around him and the many laughs and love we shared.

Jacki and Wayne Shotts

My life changed when I went to work for Larry at TRW/San Bernardino. The excitement he made of our work and the people he brought to it. I thank him for the many times he shared his family and friends with me and my family. His wonderful wife Sylvia, kids Tracey and Scott…and Cousin Kathy! The gifts they would bring back from their travels, the art work of Doug Desmond…just to name a few. All of these years we have kept in touch, the wonderful trip to D. C. that my son and I stayed at their home and they showed us all the wonderful things D. C. had to offer.  I will miss you dearly, as I am sure all of your family and friends will be doing right along with me. I will remember everything about our friendship till my days are over. Thank your for lasting love and friendship to both of you.
Carolyn Howlett

My first memories of Larry come from our time in the Castro Valley Boy Scouts where we learned, worked and played together from the early 1950s until we went to UC Berkeley in 1957-1958. We learned how to camp, the discipline of working together and how to lead a group effectively. In the late 1950s we took a two-week camping/trekking trip into the Yosemite Wilderness area and in the Fall of 1957 we roomed together on the south side of Berkeley while we were studying Engineering at UC Berkeley. Larry indoctrinated me into the joys of sports cars and we rode in his MG TD many times, visited the Jaguar showroom in Oakland to drool over the XKE and went to the Laguna Seca race track to watch sport car races. After Larry’s mother and my father passed away, his father and my mother married in 1968 and had an enjoyable 5 years together before Larry’s father died. This year at the end of May while visiting family near Sacramento we arranged to meet Larry and Syl, but a few days before our planned get together Larry called to say that he wasn’t feeling very well and they wouldn’t be able to meet us. We had an excellent, long conversation, reminiscing about our many adventures, but tragically it was to be our last conversation. Larry was the big brother that I didn’t have, he helped me in so many ways throughout our lives and I am grateful for the opportunity to have known Larry and to study, learn, play and work together. Alicia and I offer our sincere condolences to you, Syl and the Woodruff family. We have all lost a remarkable husband, father, grandfather and my brother.

Larry and Sylvia have been good neighbors and great friends in Livermore for 30 years. I enjoyed Larry's elvish wit, his artistic ability (think cards!), his adventurous spirit. He always had something going on. I will miss him. Hugs to Sylvia and family. 

Friendships last forever.....
We have fond memories of Larry and Sylvia. We were neighbors in 1970 in
Seattle. We remember our conversations, laughs and of course Ping Pong games.
We knew they would be friends forever. They also introduced us to good wine.
Over the years, we did meet up. The most recent was a trip to their cabin in the
Sierras.
We'll always have good memories of Larry.

When my husband and I, as newly-weds, bought our house in Livermore, Larry and Sylvia lived two houses down. They were wonderful neighbors and good friends. When they moved away, we saw them occasionally, staying once at their home in Redlands. They came back to Livermore for awhile but then, unfortunately, we lost track of one another. We have lost a great friend.

I met Larry and Sylvia on 9/11 when I walked up from my cabin below them to find some solice. I needed to see someone as it was after season. I was welcomed warmly with a good glass of Chardonnay. This started us visiting between cabins. It came to be that my fascination with the Himalaya was something equally shared as they trekked there often if not every year. I soaked them for every bit of knowledge I could. I bought them a beautiful book of Everest, and then one day they gave me a silk puja scarf that ended up in my mandolin case to this day protecting it with Himalaya Chomolungma spirit of the mountain goddess Miyolangsangma to this day. I love these peeps and they so loved each other. My condolences to this family and look forward to seeing Sylvia up there as we play music on the deck or around the fire. See you Sylvia and we can talk more.
Love Richard and the entire Somers, Rueller , and cast of crazy characters from Pair o Dice

Al, Tracy and I have been friends with Larry and Syl since 1966. 57 years – Gasp! We lived across the way from the Woodruff’s at married student housing at UC Davis. They invited us for dinner shortly after we moved in and I was so impressed with how very sophisticated they were because they served hors d'oeuvres.  Since then, we have continued our friendship through all these years. Dining, traveling, camping and hiking trips too numerous to mention. They were our role models for adventure and planning exciting events ahead of time instead of just randomly letting things happen. Larry’s sense of humor was subtle as well as hilarious. He was always positive and made pushing ourselves physically so much fun! “It’s just over the next hill” was his mantra. Forever Missed is a good description

I wish I had had the chance to know Larry better -- In addition to the generous and entertaining host I knew during our lifetime total 10 or 15 days' worth of visits with him and Sylvia, he seems to have been the best sort of family man and friend -- tackling life with courage, curiosity and good humor. (The humor was something that did show up in the mail.) The world sorely needs men like Larry. We mourn our loss