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My Father, Larry Allan Lanier

Larry Allan Lanier was a musician, a nurse, a captain in the Air Force, and a father. As fate would have it, he was MY father, so I think I’m qualified to state that he was a most excellent father at that. Many mannerisms and life lessons I learned from him, especially as it pertains to maintaining a sense of humor and being rational during life’s challenges. He was a tough dude, but not insensitive. I think we maybe told each other twice in our lives that we loved each other; we never needed to say the words because it was always understood.

He used humor to get us ALL through his battle with cancer (a golf ball-sized brain tumor), a battle he lost Nov 30, 2007, the same day Evel Knievel died. I remember the horrified faces the family made when he keeled over one night watching a football game from the couch (just weeks before his passing), waiting until they all jumped out of their seats before sitting up and laughing at them all for falling for his prank. I remember when picking out his headstone at the monument shop, how he asked the sweet lady working there if he could get a military discount; the lady working there was taken aback as she had never been asked that question before. Just as she was about to go get her boss, he told the poor lady he was just joking and we all had a good laugh. Many jokes were cracked while we picked out his headstone that day, and the lady from the monument shop has been a family friend ever since; she still sends Christmas cards to my kids and I. That was the sort of impression my dad had on people, I saw this time and again throughout our years together.

 

Tribute - My Father, Larry Allan Lanier

Of all the fond memories I could share about my father, I think the aforementioned represent him well. He accepted his fate with honor, class, and dignity; he didn’t fear his death, didn’t complain about life being unfair. He went out of his way to enjoy the time he had left, and in so doing, made the burden so much lighter for all of us. Though he never specifically told me so, I suspect he knew this wasn’t an ending, but a new beginning; that there was something else out there for him, and that it was something pretty good.

2017 will mark the 10th anniversary of his passing, and though we miss him, we know well that he’s with us always. My kids and I have the morbid sense of humor to prove it.

Larry Allan Lanier
Nov 7th 1950 – Nov 30th 2007

Support

 

In memory of Kevin’s father, Larry, we would love you to support ‘Maandag’ where Kevin Lanier and his UK friend, Barry Burford, are kindly offering a free download of a song that they created to aid children's charities and cancer research.

If you would like to get in touch with Kevin or share a tribute with us, please get in touch with us.

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