No paper mentioned
Larry L. English, 77, formerly of Orofino, Headquarters
Larry LaRoy English was born Jan. 28, 1936, at White Bird to Dorothy Olney and Howard (Bud) English. He passed away Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013, after a long illness.
He spent most of his early years in Lewiston, Headquarters, Orofino and the Anatone-Asotin, WA area. He spent a short time in Anchorage, AK, with his aunt Hazel and uncle Jim Sines until he was able to earn enough money selling newspapers to help pay his way back to Lewiston. He returned with his malamute dog Orphy, which he loved dearly.
When he came back from Alaska, he went to live with his aunt Myrtle and John Curtis in Headquarters and Orofino. He loved his aunt and uncle and their children, Jackie and John, otherwise known by friends and family as Bucky. While living with their family, he liked to run off to a cow camp operated by Clayton Gordon. He was told, "If you like it so much, go live there." Eventually he lived with Clayton and his family until he was old enough to be on his own. He spent his summers working for various farmers in the area. He was highly sought after because he was trustworthy and hard-working.
He joined the U.S. Navy in 1955. He spent time in San Diego, Corpus Christi, Texas, Iwokuni, Japan, Singapore, Australia, San Francisco and Washington. He was a gunner's mate on a P5M2 amphibious reconnaissance airplane. Larry loved to cook so that responsibility became one of his duties. Because they were involved in hazardous duty at the end of the Korean War, their food rations were better than most. He would have made a career of the Navy if he hadn't been injured in a plane crash. He was officially discharged in 1963.
He lived in Lewiston where he married Maryann Bailey and had two children, Jody (Joe) and CaraAnn. He loved his wife and children, but the marriage ended in divorce. He remarried in 1989 to his longtime friend and companion, Rosanne Bailey, who survives him at their home.
Lewiston was his home and he always wanted to return to live here. No other place was to his liking because for some reason he felt isolated when away. Whenever he went on a trip outside of the valley, he was on pins and needles wanting his trip done and to return home. Once he saw what he wanted on his trips away from home, there was no stopping him getting back to Lewiston.
Larry worked at Potlatch Corp. from 1963 until the age of 61. He worked various jobs there: dryer tender, saw filer - a job he loved and was upset when it was closed down - and a Wagner operator for Power 4 until his retirement. At his last job, he worked alternating shifts: days, swing and nights. Whenever he worked the swing shift, each Friday evening, Rosanne and the dogs, Kate and Jake, would take him out food to share. The tower would keep an eye out for Rosanne and they would give him a call to let him know she was there.
He enjoyed participating in many activities over the years: riding motorcycles with his children, being with friends and family. He loved all kinds of aircraft including flying gliders and small planes, competitive skeet shooting and bird hunting with his favorite dog, Sam. He built radio-controlled airplanes, enjoyed steelhead fishing, water skiing, camping - using his sleeper on the back of his pickup truck and later on using his motor home - leather-working, four-wheeling, and drinking coffee with his friends at Jeffrey's Restaurant. Whenever he went camping with his longtime friend Anita and her family, they looked like a bunch of gypsies, hauling bicycles, grub boxes, rafts and canoes among other things, and later on, four-wheelers and related equipment. Over the years, he owned a Yamaha Grizzly, a Kawasaki Mule and Yamaha Rhino. He worked during his spare time at the Diamond C Saddle Shop until it changed hands. He was a very talented man who acknowledged his close friends by making them hand-tooled gun holsters.
In 1963, he had his lower lobe on his left lung removed. He recovered from this operation with good results and had several years of fairly good health. In 2004, due to constant infections and an abscess in the left lung region, his left lung was removed. It was hoped that his other lung would take over, but that would not be the case. He spent three months in a hospital in Spokane, WA; a week at a nursing home in Moscow, where he almost died, and two months at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston. Without St. Joe's ICU staff, and his attending physician, Dr. James Fisher, he never would have survived the operation. He was able to come home and did pretty well for about four years. He eventually became dependent on the home ventilator, where he spent the remainder of his life. He fought bravely and without complaint.
He was preceded in death by his brothers, Duane and Phil English; and his sister, Patsy Hanks; and his daughter, CaraAnn English. He is survived by his wife, Rosanne; his son, Jody (Joe) English and wife Jennifer and their children Sarah, David and Jordan; his sister, Linda Joyce Arnold; his first cousin, John (Bucky) Curtis - who was like a brother - and wife Lonnie; and longtime friends Anita and Mark Grimm and their children, who became his extended family.
A memorial will be held at a later date.
Transcribed by Michal Berreth-Beck, 2014