- Date Of Birth: March 9, 1947
- Date Of Death: March 25, 2017
- State: Arizona
Larry was born on March 9, 1947 in Orange, CA to the late Watson and Faye (Barnes) Groce. He passed away peacefully on March 25, 2017 at his home in Alameda with his wife by his side. Larry is survived by his loving wife, Yvonne and stepbrother, Steve McClary. Larry’s mother passed away when he was 14 and his father passed away in 2015. Larry’s older brother, Dennis, passed away in 2004 and his stepbrother, Phil McClary, passed away in 2006.
Larry spent his earlier years in Orange County, CA and then moved to the Bay Area in the late 1970’s. Larry graduated from Santa Ana Valley High School, Santa Ana College, Cal State Fullerton, and finally Cal State, Hayward, where he received his Master’s Degree in Public Administration. Larry served in the U.S. Navy from May 31, 1967 to May 3, 1972 and served in Vietnam on the USS Preble.
Larry met Yvonne at her gym that was arranged through a friend. This was a blind date for Yvonne but not for Larry; his friend had given Larry a photograph of Yvonne. They fell in love and were married at Club Med, Huatulco, Mexico in November of 1990.
Larry’s early professional career included working for the City of Huntington Beach Planning Department and the Golden Gate Bridge Authority. The majority of his career was spent working for the Berkeley Public Library as a management analyst and he retired in 2006.
Larry loved building things and enjoyed doing handyman work and was very talented at it. He also enjoyed genealogy and reading a lot while he was still able. Larry and Yvonne enjoyed going to Club Med and Sandals on vacation and really enjoyed the beach.
Larry was a very kind person who cared about people and never had a harsh word to say about anyone. Yvonne, as well as his friends and family will miss Larry very much and want to celebrate his life and the special person that he was.
