Larry and I grew up together in what at the time was sometimes called "Lily-White Lynwood" for its solidly middle-class establishment character, being right next door to Watts and Compton.  But I believe that our relationships with students in those towns helped us to outgrow some of the attitudes that were commonplace in Lynwood.

He was one year younger than I, but we found ourselves sharing the same Cub Scout Pack, Boy Scout Troop, Explorer Post, High School Band Section (I helped him convert from Baritone to join me on Sousaphone) and, at one point, girlfriend.  In our clique, I was "Brad Bruceberry" and he was (to his dismay) "Fairy Lisher".

His father was the local jeweler, and a member of the school board.  My father had great respect for Louis Fisher, and suggested I use his name as a reference on my college applications.  Our mothers were good friends, PTA members, etc.

In 1963, I was selected to participate in the "Sierra Patrol", an annual two-week wilderness hike and fishing trip for about 30 Eagle Scouts, funded by a major Los Angeles radio station. The following year, I went along again as a junior leader, and Larry was selected from our region. My memories of that Late August trip include a day being snowed in, an impromptu "kangaroo court" to discipline one member who wasn't doing his share in pulling his burro (which was brought in as a "surprise witness"), and Larry being thrown into a lake because he had gone too many days without washing up!

We had made a bet in high school: Who would get married first.  At my wedding, when he shook my hand he ponied up $5.  

It wasn't too long after that he left California to seek his fortune.  I also departed, to northern Idaho, where I was a school superintendent and, since retiring, the host of Weekend Edition for Northwest Public Radio.

I'm glad we reconnnected and corresponded briefly several years ago.  I remember needling him about the scarcity of trout streams in the midwest, and I regret that we did not make the effort to again find our way to a high mountain stream with the hope of landing our dinner.   

Bruce Bradberry
bbradberrys@gmail.com




 

That's me "Andy" with Larry on a catamaran that Larry and Sherrie along with Andrea chartered out of Annapolis. I had the pleasure to be Larry's sailing instructor on previous courses in the Chesapeake, but this was the first time with Larry and his lovely family. That day was particularly memorable for a number of events, but one in particular stands out. After leaving Annapolis en route to the eastern Shore via a cut called Knapps Narrows, we encountered a "bit of a blow" thats British English for a full blown storm! I remember calling Lisa my wife and school partner for updates on the RADAR picture - the prognosis was "not too good" British English for really quite bad ! There was not a lot we could do about it really except keep a stiff upper lip so Larry and I continued to swap stories while waiting for the storm to peak.We decided that we could not make it through the cut safely before the storm, so we just hung out sailing around in circles. When the storm hit we were facing gale force winds, thunder and lightning, hail and rain which reduced our visibility to just the bow of the boat. Now - part of of being a good sailor is taking care of your crew and that is where Larry excelled, Andrea and Sherrie  were ushered below to take shelter; meanwhile, Larry took the helm, although he was drenched and battered by hail he just kept smiling ! I offered many times to take the helm, but he refused - he was in his element.  There are many other great stories of that trip. I will try to find some photos and write more stories.

I loved sailing with You - Larry, I knew it was always going to be fun !

Your sailing buddy - Andy Batchelor

I first met Larry in 2005 shortly after meeting his daughter Meredith.  My own father passed away less than 3 years earlier and I had spent some time away from most of my family trying to cope with the tragic loss that I experienced personally.
Being the boyfriend of his 20 year old daughter, I didn't expect to be treated cordially by Larry.  Being a TKE (fraternity member), college student and Teamster from a family of democrats and labor leaders I feared that Larry would not give me a fair chance to get to know me for who I really was.
Larry was very generous and kind to me.  I observed the way that Larry treated his family, the way he approached life and the way he was able to not speak about situations where I personally wanted to get upset about.  I recall a "disagreement" at his home with another one of his daughthers one time where my father would have raised his voice and got very frustrated.  Larry was able to settle the dispute with a few words and we knew that it was over.
Not having my father around during my 20's was very difficult.  I was graduating college, earning my MBA and forging my career.  Larry was always there for me to discuss life problems with.  The first few times were difficult for me but I soon grew to respect his opinion.  Getting to know Larry helped me see a different way to live life than I had known growing up.  He loved his family and tried to give them as much as he could of himself.  One conversation with Larry that I will remember the rest of my life with Larry was when I invited him to lunch to ask for his blessing to marry Meredith.  We spent a few hours together and we discussed our futures.  He cared so much about Meredith's future and ensuring that we had the ability to live our lives in a fashion so that we could raise a family and travel the world to live life to the fullest.  I will always remember the 10 years of memories I had with Larry, the father he was to me and the love that his family had for him.  I'm very blessed to have met and learned from Larry and I'm glad that we were able to be here for him at the end of his life to hopefully make things better for him during his transition to a better place.  Love you and miss you Larry.