Memories of Larry

Whether in engineering classes at Cal Poly, at Grace Bible Church in SLO, or over the years as our families crossed paths, Larry was always outgoing, friendly, intelligent, articulate, animated, funny, and just a little quirky—like we engineers pride ourselves on being.

A friend who will be missed, and the world is a bit less palpable without him.

Over the years, we would converse occasionally on the phone, but while in college we would talk through long, challenging calculus, physics, and engineering problems when we happened to have the same teacher. We made each other better engineers because of it.

We might spend an hour every other night working through methods each had tried or checking our homework results.

A conversation might go like this, as Larry would often focus on you as a person and not as a tool or resource to get something done.

He would say, in grand voice inflection with slow, meaningful intonation:

Hi Mike,

How are you doing, my friend?

pause,

then, listen . . .

We would share personal exchanges about the ups and downs of college life. We had a lot in common: we both served in the military and were in the active reserves, we both had children while in college, we went to the same church, attended the same school, and had the same major. We studied for and passed our PE exam together and graduated together.

We connected as people.

Larry was smarter, but I was more thorough and methodical (I think).

Anyhow, after our short personal exchanges on the phone, we would dive into homework.

It might go for 15, 40, or even 53 minutes, and eventually I would realize, as I was listening to Larry talk, that I was missing parts of his words. I would ask him to repeat something, and then shortly after I would again ask him to repeat something I hadn’t quite heard. After three or four of those missed words, I would ask, “Are you on speakerphone? I’m missing some of what you’re saying.”

He would always say

I met Larry at church in a networking class as we were both looking for new directions. I was so impressed with his calm, confident manner in trusting God for the next job situation. He introduced my husband and I to Katie and we have loved them ever since. For quite a few years, we had a home Bible Study together and I always appreciated his godly attitude, his desire to know God better, his adventurous spirit in becoming a Centurian (I think that was the name of Chuck Colson's deep dive with the Lord). He influenced so many lives, family and friends. I see that big grin on his face as he is literally looking into the eye of our Saviour!! One day, we'll be there grinning with him. Until then Larry, we miss you.

Thanks for being a good shipmate......rest in peace.

I’ll never forget meeting Larry. In 2007/2008, his oldest daughter Chrystea was assigned into my dorm room. After some really funny laughs, we quickly became friends - to this day she is my best friend. When he came to our university, I remember us all talking about how our dads are both named Larry, he was a big ST Louis cardinals fan cause his brother played for them and my family and I are from St Louis and my dads favorite sport and team are the Cardinals! We all became so close that they even invited my parents and grandparents to the graduation party at Chrystea’s grandpa’s house (Larry Senior! My dad’s dad is also a Larry Senior - you can’t make this up!).

Anyways.. Larry treated me like family and his faith in Jesus and positive attitude was so admirable. One memory that sticks out is at Chrystea’s wedding. I was her Maid of honor and therefore had to give a toast- I started crying, went on probably way too long LOL and was pretty embarrassed. I’ll never forget Larry coming up to me and saying “that was just so sweet and thoughtful - don’t be embarrassed, we all just could see how much you care.” I instantly felt better cause of his kind words - I bet everyone feels that way with Larry - he was just so kind.

My prayers and love go out to the Suppan family. This is a short life and we will all see him again soon. God bless you all :)

As a young sailor, Larry always had a smile on his face, a kind word, and an easy demeanor! At the Reunion, he was still the same! Rest in peace my friend!

Please accept my heartfelt condolences on Larry’s passing. I had the honor of serving with him aboard the USS George Bancroft, and even in those early years it was clear he was a man of integrity, strength, and deep faith. He led by example, he was always steady, thoughtful, and always willing to lift up those around him.

I have not kept up with my Bancroft shipmates over the years. Reading about Larry’s life after the Navy, it’s no surprise to see how full his life was. Loving his family, serving others, and sharing the hope of Jesus wherever he went. From conversations with Larry and others that knew him more recently, I can tell that Larry’s faith was not just something he believed, it was something he carried into every conversation, every friendship, and every act of service. Larry’s legacy will continue to bear fruit in the lives he touched.

In moments like this, I’m reminded of the promise in John 14:2-3, where Jesus says He goes to prepare a place for us, and that He will come again to bring us home to Himself. Larry lived with that assurance, and now he rests in the presence of the Lord he loved so dearly.

Please know that I am praying for Larry’s family and friends to know comfort, peace, and the Lord’s nearness in the days ahead. Larry was a remarkable man, and I am grateful to have walked a part of life’s journey with him.

With deepest sympathy,

Ron

I am truly sorry for the loss Katie and the rest of his family must feel. For Larry it must be a joy and blessing to be past his earthly suffering, and to be in heaven with his Savior, but everyone left behind will miss him dearly. It is a reminder to all this this is not our home, that we should seek God with all of our hearts, and that we should look forward to the time when we ourselves will go to be with the Lord. It is my hope that every recollection you have of Larry will bring you joy, peace, and gratefulness to God for being blessed with Larry. God bless you all.

Mike Dixon, friend

Here is what you would experience when spending time with Larry, he was always:
Smiling
Happy to see you
Always concerning/focused on you instead of himself
Talking about Jesus
Talking about something he had read in scripture
Talking about a Christian book he was reading
Talking about what a missionary said that he recently heard speak
Taking walks and talking about all the above
Going to Bible study together
Going to church together

I spent a lot of time with Larry while in the US Navy. I first got to know Larry in Orlando, and then in Charleston SC. We had the same job in Charleston, but on different submarines. Several of us shared an apartment with Larry. I remember riding in his car with him, attended Bible studies, or attending the same church together, etc.

With Larry you always felt loved, and your time with him was always an encouragement. He was truly refreshing, the kindest of souls, and a joy to be around. In any discussion, usually the primary focus was Christ and discussing scripture, just like what you would do if following Christ was the most important thing in your life. I remember he would pull out his Bible and would read/share something he had recently read, and he would tell you what it meant to him.

This last December, after many years of barely staying in touch, we talked on the phone for 2 hours, it was truly a blessing. It was as if we had never been away for those many years. And even though he was in his last days here on Earth, he felt inclined to pray for me while we were on the phone, an excellent example of his care and concern for others. All who spent time with Larry were truly blessed. When I think of Larry, I can't help but think about the saints mentioned in Hebrews 11:38, "…of whom the world was not worthy".

Mike Dixon, friend

When I was a young engineer who had just been promoted to a supervisor role, I was looking for a Team Lead who could help support me through the challenges of leading people. Larry was that person. He had a natural ability to connect with others, and his positivity and willingness to mentor those around him made a real difference. During COVID, when everyone was on maximum telework, the first thing Larry would ask his team members wasn’t about work, it was how they were doing. That simple act showed the kind of person he was: someone who truly cared about people.

I also remember a trip we took together to visit one of the powerhouses. Larry was driving, with three of us along for what turned into a very long ride—about a seven-hour drive. We were deep in conversation and didn’t realize until four or five hours into the trip that the Google Maps on his phone had frozen and we had passed the turn we were supposed to take hours earlier. After turning around and driving a few more hours, the fuel gauge started warning that we only had about 50 miles left. Larry calmly said, “We should make it to town before that.” Soon after he said it, the dashboard switched from showing miles remaining to simply saying “Low.” At that point, we were all wondering if we might end up stranded somewhere along the road. Thankfully, we finally rolled into the town where we were staying, and Larry pulled into the first gas station we saw. The relief we all felt in that moment quickly turned into laughter. Just one more memorable adventure with Larry.

Larry and I accompanied our daughters on a school trip to France and England. As someone who taught French for decades, I was in utter admiration to see the ultimate student who had little formal study of French, but used it with everyone he could with the most enthusiasm and disregard for inhibition or self-consciousness. He soaked up every detail he could absorb of Europe, not wanting to miss a thing. If only his joy of learning and openness to the world's wonders could be bottled and sold.

Larry and I getting together at the Portland district picnic. This was 1 year after I was discharge from the hospital.

I will miss you Larry.

Larry and I were both older HDC engineers in training and we were fellow submariners. Though we worked for different sections, we would help each other with questions on projects. We also spent time reminiscing about our submarine adventures.

Later, when I was diagnosed with Leukemia, we would talk about are battles with cancer including treatments. This strengthened our friendship. I was so happy he decided to retire early and spend time with his family. My deepest condolences to the Suppan family.

Dad took me to see all the twilight movies in theaters as they were coming out. By the time the last one came out I was a Senior in high school and going to go by myself or with some friends as I could finally drive and didn’t need him to take me anymore. After it came out I was sitting in our basement watching a show or doing homework or something when I hear thunderous steps coming down to the basement. My dad, never one to knock when he could just enter a room burst through the door and said “Malia, when are we going to see New Moon 3?” I responded with: “It’s Breaking Dawn part 2 and I was going to go with some friends because I didn’t think you wanted to go.” Then he replied “Well I have got to see how it ends.” So we went together.