- Date Of Birth: January 22, 1939
- Date Of Death: December 8, 2022
- State: Idaho
Larry Wayne Menges Sr. of Kuna, ID passed away Thursday, Dec. 8th, 2022.
Larry was born Jan. 22nd, 1939, in Bisbee, AZ, to Arthur Orville, and Nora Mae Menges. He and his brother “Hoagie” grew up in Bisbee, AZ during the 1940s and 1950s when Bisbee was a hardscrabble copper mining town.
Back then, there wasn’t a whole lot to do in the way of entertainment, especially in a desolate southern mining town. To fight the boredom, Larry and Hoagie found plenty of shenanigans to get into. They would go “chicken fishing” which consisted of putting bait on a hook and casting it into a neighbor’s chicken coop (the rest you can fill in) to them then cooking chickens in the foothills over an open fire. They were known to leave “gift boxes” laying on the side of the road. They would be better described as ambush boxes as the gift inside was no gift at all. The boys would wait and watch from a covered vantage point to sometimes see people fight over the nicely wrapped turd of a present. Literally.
As soon as he could escape Bisbee, Larry joined the Navy. He served from November 10th, 1956 until his honorable discharge on December 11th, 1959. While stationed in Monterey, CA, Larry met the love of his life Margaret “Midge” Whitmire at a Navy dance in Long Beach, CA. Midge told her girlfriends she “would marry that man someday” the second she laid eyes on him. Larry courted Midge for approximately three years before their marriage on October 7th, 1961. They enjoyed the first five years as newlyweds frequenting places like Las Vegas and Lake Havasu. They loved Elvis and saw him several times. One time Larry paid their way to front row, and when Elvis extended his hand to Midge for a little smooch Larry told her, “You better stand up if you want to kiss Elvis”. Which she did.
In 1966, the first of two kids arrived. Larry and Midge transitioned from Las Vegas fun to family fun. Endless weekends and holidays were spent camping, fishing, and hunting with Lake Havasu being at the forefront of most activities. To pay for all those good times, Larry worked in pipeline construction (mostly natural gas) in the Los Angeles area for his entire career. He went from being a laborer, to foreman, and then superintendent. He was member of the Teamsters Union and as such was able to retire in his mid-50s on the Teamster’s “Golden 80 Plan”. He and Midge moved to Idaho shortly after his retirement and spent the remainder of their lives there.
Larry is survived by his daughter Lonnie Menges of Kuna, ID; son Larry Menges (Amie) of Meridian, ID; grandchildren Ryan Menges (Stephanie) of Hopkinsville, KY; Chanel Menges of Fayetteville, NC (currently deployed to Germany); Brandon Schiffer (Brylee) of Kuna, ID; and Sarah McDowell (Jordan) of Nampa, ID; Bailee Rhoades of Boise, ID; and Kaleb Rhoades of Boise, ID. He was preceded in death by his wife Midge Menges (October 29th, 2013), and his brother Hoagie Menges (January 21st, 2011).
