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From Myra Blue:

Larry was the Master of Ceremonies for the Vintage Fashion Show recently held at the Pamlico County Heritage Center. Pamlico CC and the PC Historical Association partnered to put on the fundraiser. Larry was outstanding in his vintage tuxedo. He even commented that his “shoes” were vintage. He was a good friend of our community.

From Rich Walker in Fort Worth, Texas:

My name is Rich Walker. I am one of Larry’s brothers. I just thought that the residents of Oriental might like to know a little bit about Larry’s immediate family members. Larry is survived by two wonderful daughters. Alicia is married and has one child. Her husband is a college professor and Alicia is a successful business woman. Christina is married and has one child also. Her husband is a police officer and Chrissy is a grammar school teacher. Alicia & Christina have evolved into two charming young ladies. As their uncle, I am very proud of them. Carol is Alicia’s & Christina’s Mom. She is a successful banker and has been a fabulous Mom, having done a fantastic job raising these girls.

Dealing with loss can be difficult any time of year. However, I think that dealing with a loss during the Christmas season is especially difficult. As we move forward, it is always comforting to be able to lean on the loved ones that remain.

From Kevin Quade:

Well, it doesn’t happen very often, but once in a while you meet someone that you instantly think the world of. I’m talking about Larry of course. We met Larry through World Wide Marine Training several years ago and became great friends. We are also fellow Rotarians.

Knowing that Louise and I wanted to have a boat and maybe a house on the East coast, Larry invited us to Oriental many times to visit him and check out the town. A few years ago it worked out that we could come to Oriental to visit. Larry insisted that we stay at his house for almost a week. When we did that, we had one of the best times of our lives exploring the area with him. We met a lot of his close friends, people that we think the world of now also. Like a lot of other residents of Oriental, we fell in love with the town and its residents instantly. We stopped our East coast search in favor of buying a boat slip in Pecan Grove Marina that very week. We visited Larry and Oriental many times after that. Larry came to St. Louis several times also, where we always had a good time with him. We finally bought Dave and Carol Wright’s sailboat “Bristol Star”. We had a lot of fun with Larry and friends on Bristol Star. We sailed, cooked dinner and had a drink or two on her. Larry helped watch after her when storms threatened the area. Bristol Star always did well thanks to Larry and our other good friend Ross. We had planned to do some long distance cruising with Larry in the future, maybe sailing to Bermuda first.

Larry was one of our best friends, we will never forget him, his contagious smile, great sense of humor and vast knowledge of marine and music trivia. We are deeply saddened by his passing. We still plan to do some sailing with Larry someday – at another time, in a better place……

Fair winds and following seas captain, we miss you very much buddy.

From Joe and Jan DeSherlia:

Following is the story and some photos from Larry’s last days in the British Virgin Islands:

Larry diving

Captain Larry and friends at “The Baths”

To the Family and Friends of Captain Larry,

Captain Larry arrived in the British Virgin Islands on Sunday prior to Joe and me. When we arrived at the marina, Captain Larry had already made himself at home with some of the crew that arrived earlier that day. His warm jolly voice welcomed us from our long trip and cocktails and pizza began to flow.
Early the next morning, Captain Larry had us all up with the roosters for morning exercises. (There are roosters everywhere in the BVI!) Off we went for a long walk through Road Town. Captain Larry has recently dropped 30 pounds and wanted to continue his diet and exercise throughout our trip. He was looking great! Always a gentleman Captain Larry insisted on walking on the outside of the sidewalk closest to the road. We had not stopped for provisions so Captain Larry went into a convenience store for coffee. Out walks Larry with 5 cups of coffee, one that he was trying to drink and the others that he wanted to carry back to the crew on the boat. Captain Larry spilled that coffee EVERYWHERE! That is Captain Larry – friends first.

Before setting sail Monday, Captain Larry wanted to brief the crew on safety tips. Man overboard techniques, first aid kits, safety issues and the dangers of sailing. Captain Larry had his crew wrapped safely in his strong grip.

We set sail mid Monday afternoon to our first destination, Norman Island. Many of us went snorkeling in the caves but others were influenced by Captain Larry’s excitement to meet up with some of his many friends in the BVI. Can you imagine? Captain Larry had a list of friends from around the world that he was to see while we were in the BVI this week. Wow, every man should be this lucky!

Tuesday the winds picked up and Captain Larry, once again, had us back in the classroom. He had us pumped up for our first day of sailing. Calm seas, fair winds and great friends. It was the perfect day! The sailing was beautiful and the scuba diving was wonderful. Our first dive was a ship wreck from 1867 called the “Wreck of the Rhone”. The seas had picked up and the current was a little strong so it made diving more difficult but not enough to end the dive. We all did fine and were excited about taking our next dive on Thursday.

We ended the evening back on the Catamaran singing to the tunes of Dave on the guitar and Captain Larry’s wonderful, wonderful voice. The song that I most enjoyed hearing Captain Larry sing is, “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” by Elvis Presley. We went to our cabins that night with a lot of love in our hearts. We were amongst some of the most wonder people in the world.

Wednesday our first destination was “The Baths” located on Virgin Gorda. We hiked through beautiful grottos formed by giant stones, with exotic pools strewn across gorgeous sandy beaches. Once you reach the end of “The Baths” a tiki bar is welcoming you with island music and cold beverages. We gathered for a drink and some laughs and started back to the boat. At this point we had two options; to hike back or to swim. Captain Larry swam and this was the first time that I was concerned about him. Our friends said that when he returned to the boat he was a little winded, but not enough to be alarmed. We pulled up anchor – “Full Speed Ahead”!

Wednesday evening we ended up at a grill on the beach. It was very primitive. This did not faze Captain Larry in the slightest. When I asked, “should we leave or should we stay?” Captain Larry looked at me like, why on earth would we leave? We stayed and had a wonderful time. An old army truck served as our taxi and returned us to the marina. We stopped at a bar with a deck overlooking the ocean. There was a band playing and Captain Larry danced to just about every song. Captain Larry knows that I cannot dance so he led me. He swirled and twirled me. I danced like a rock star. I have thanked God over and over for my last dance with Captain Larry.

Thursday morning we got a call from the dive shop asking our location. They told us that we had better get going and Captain Larry just chuckled and said that we had plenty of time. He was right; we were there at 10:00 sharp. We jumped in the dive boat and off we went.

Within a few minutes we arrived at our first dive site. It was also a wreck dive called “Wreck Alley”. Its deepest point was 85 feet. The seas were much calmer for this dive and there was very little current to swim against. We had a group of nine divers and we all wanted to dive together. The girls and the guys that use the least amount of air got into the water first. Captain Larry and a few of the other guys entered the water last. Each of us gave the dive master the signal that all was ok. Just before we were ready to descend, Captain Larry was still teaching. My brother-in-law Mike has a tough time equalizing so he was telling Mike to descend very slowly and clear his ears every few feet.

Once down on the ocean floor the dive master asked us each for our “OK” sign. We were all doing great. Captain Larry swam beneath me the first part of the dive. It was beautiful. Little current, good visibility and the sea life was plentiful. We saw barracuda, eel, huge grouper, coral reefs, it was gorgeous. The second half of the dive Captain Larry was not with Joe and me. This was normal. The men that use the most air end their dives early and ascend while we continue the dive. Ten minutes later we ascended to our 3 minute safety stop and returned to the surface. The minute that we hit the surface we knew that there was something terribly wrong. The dive master told us that there was trouble and to remain on the dive boat. He swam to the boat that had stopped to assist. This is when I first saw Captain Larry at the surface. CPR was being administered, Mayday calls were put out over the radio and rescue boats were being dispatched. A doctor that had heard our cries for help came within seconds and went to aid Captain Larry. She also helped administer CPR to Captain Larry. VISAR, the Virgin Islands Search and Rescue Team showed up within minutes and transported Captain Larry and our dive master to a hospital in Tortola.

Joe and I and the rest of the crew followed in the dive boat back to shore. Once we arrived on shore, Joe and I were transported to the hospital. After about an hour, three doctors from the Tortola Hospital came to us and told us that they had done all that they could do for Larry. The next few days were very tough; many arrangements, questions, tears and heartaches. We talked to local authorities, the American Embassy and other local agencies that assist in situations such as ours.

Saturday morning we renamed our vessels Larry 1 and Larry 2 and once again set sail into the Caribbean. As we departed the marina a cloud above our heads followed us out to sea. It was shaped like an angel with wings, with a long white beard, of course. It was our Captain, Captain Larry Walker, protecting us and guiding us out to sea. Showing us that life goes on and that his love will remain with us forever.

Captain Larry did not leave us at sea that day. Captain Larry will never leave our hearts. He will remain with us forever. He will help us through our strong winds and rough seas and he will guide us into many more beautiful sunsets.

We hope that this letter helps you with any questions that you may have. Our hearts and prayers are with you.
Love,
The Crew of Larry 1 and Larry 2
Joe and Jan DeSherlia
Tim and Val Aulabaugh
Dave and Karen Wilmouth
Jeff and Cheryl Baecht
Joan and Mike Steckel
Tim and Ginger Davis
Jane Burge

A sailing lesson…

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Posted Friday December 3, 2010 by Melinda Penkava