Larry Dean Litsey

Larry D. Litsey Born on April 10, 1944, in Lincoln, Nebraska to Opal (Watermeier) and George Litsey,

died the 28th of July, 2022, after a long and courageous battle with COPD and heart issues.

At the age of 23, after the death of his father, Larry took on the role of being his sister's male role model. He loved, supported, encouraged and, oftentimes greatly teased her. Their bond was evidenced by the fact that as soon as she learned to speak, one of her favorite words was, "Brother." To this day, she, without thinking, always refers to him by that title.

Larry joined the National Guard in Nebraska in 1964. In 1965, after moving to Colorado, he joined the Colorado Army National Guard, 19th Special Forces. Here he found many lifelong friends that he would call brother till the end. One of whom, Bill, even married his sister, Nancy.

The military helped to foster his love of travel and this career provided an opportunity to travel all over the globe. His military career is officially recorded as 33 years of service. The military was the second longest constant in his life and was an extension of the longest passion - skydiving. One of his proudest accomplishments was when he graduated from the Sergeant Major's Academy with his wife and daughters by his side.

In 1971, Larry met the love of his life, Reneé. They married July 22, 1972 and had two beautiful girls, Cheré (1975) and Laura (1979). Larry and Reneé shared many adventures together over the years. They shared a passion and love that is truly rare. They spent over 33 years working side-by-side running a business and raising the girls.

Larry proved to be the most loving and caring father in the world. He maintained an amazing relationship with them throughout his lifetime. He taught them so many things over the years. The numerous shared passions and interests continue to live on in his daughters and grandchildren.

Cheré learned patience and occasionally a lack of patience. The girls shared their father's love of roller coasters, driving in the mountains as well as spotting tornados while hanging out on the roof. They shared Larry's passion for SCUBA diving and made several dives together while he was stationed in California. There he also was given the opportunity to share his love of sailing and the ocean.

Laura always considered Larry her hero. He was always the person that understood her best. When Laura became an avid swimmer and lifeguard, only then did Larry reveal that he, too, had been an avid swimmer and lifeguard during his youth. As Laura grew up, Larry was quick to calm her worries. When Laura was stressed about selecting a career path, Larry stated simply that even he didn't know what he wanted to be when he grew up (as if still a kid himself). Larry would act as a father figure to Laura and Cheré's husbands guiding them to be great husbands and fathers.

Larry taught his family that kindness was the best virtue a person could have. He held integrity and truth in high regards and set quite the example. If there was work that needed done he was there to do it. This included doing many home improvement projects (usually completed during the early hours on any given holiday). He was not only a kind-hearted father, brother, but a friend to so many.

Beginning during his childhood, Larry had a passion for building and flying remote controlled airplanes and joined the Miniature Aero Sportsters (an incredible group of men who shared the same passion). This "hobby" grew to a point where he built MULTIPLE remote controlled airplanes. He even converted a large room in his home to a "plane" room to contain all of his parts and works in progress. He continued to fly twice a week (rain, snow or shine) unless he physically couldn't. He shared this passion with Laura and his grandsons Christopher and Cian who went to the airfield quite a bit with him.

In addition to flying, he loved being outdoors gardening and traveling, but most of all, he loved spending time with his family and friends. He loved hosting large get togethers when the whole family would gather and play games late into the evening. A cup of coffee would lead to pots of coffee, and a good conversation could lead to hours of time spent with him.

To Larry, family always came first. We are so blessed to have been able to call him Daddy, Brother, Uncle and Friend. It truly was a blessing to have loved - and been loved by - someone who set a great example of what it really means to put family first.

Larry is survived by his two daughters Cheré Murray (Steve), Laura High (Jason), his sister Nancy Astor (Bill) and four grandchildren; Chris Murray, Trevor Murray, Cian High and Brodric High; as well as several nieces and nephews and his companion for the past few years, Ann.

He is preceded in death by Reneé Jill Litsey, Opal (Watermeier) and George Litsey.