Lawrence Klein

May 18, 1944-July 4, 2023

Rugby

Lawrence “Larry” Roger Klein was born on May 18, 1944, in Rugby to Kathryn Voller Klein and Lawrence Leo Klein and ended his earthly life on July 4, 2023. He was 79 years old. He was the oldest son following four big sisters, Eileen, Virginia, Marlys, and Judy. In all there were nine children. Larry’s dad was a farmer and he learned early that everyone had a job. He went to Balta High School, graduating in the class of 1962. After graduating he went to work in the oil fields in Montana. In 1963 he and several other young men took a dare to come to Oklahoma landing him in Clinton just before Christmas. The rig moved to Vici in midsummer. The work was good, but in the end, he was the only one who stayed. He wanted to stay because he loved the warmer winters. On November 25, 1965, he was introduced to a young girl named Shirley Johnson who he later married on November 26, 1969. He and Shirley established their first home in Oklahoma City, moving to Yukon in 1976. He had left the oil field and bought a semi-truck and became an owner-operator trucker. This was a good life for them for 50 years. He drove over 7 million miles, was privileged to see all 50 states and every province in Canada. Larry and Shirley were married nearly 10 years when they adopted Jennifer Dyan in 1978 in Oklahoma City, and later Kathryn “Kati” Nicole in 1982 from Korea. This completed their family. Larry enjoyed his daddy’s girls and later their families very much. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather and devout Catholic; enjoying church services and the Golden Sagers luncheons where he loved to play dominos with the guys and NASCAR. He had many health problems but never let them get him down. He said, “this was the hand god dealt him” or “just another bump in the road.” In 2019 he got an extreme infection in his right foot requiring amputation of his right foot and leg. Again, he took it in stride. On our 50th anniversary we celebrated by having the stitches removed from his leg and going to Scott Sabolich to start work on his first prosthetic leg. The doctors predicted at least a year before he could get fitted but he was determined to walk. Six weeks after amputation he walked out of the Sabolich clinic with a new leg. He is preceded in death by his parents, Lawrence and Kathyrn Klein, his mother and father-in-law Ernest and Mildred Johnson, niece Lori White and nephew Jason Bertsch, brothers-in-laws Walt Krenzel, Kim Spaeth, Pete Reiger, He is survived by his loving wife, Shirley; daughters, Jennifer Plato, Edmond and Kati and Charles Lowe, Oklahoma City; grandsons Jacob Plato and Casey Gilbey, Edmond Julius Lowe and DaeJung Klein, Oklahoma city; one granddaughter, Asia Lowe, Oklahoma City; sisters, Eileen Krenzel, Las Vegas, NV, Virginia Bertsch, Las Vegas, NV, Marlys and Gene Stumvoll, Sun City West, AZ, Judy Ramage, Montgomery Village, MD, Pat Reiger, Las Vegas, NV, Cindy and Jim Fees, Eagan, MN, and Corrina Spaeth, Las Vegas, NV, and brother Daryl and Angela Klein, Balta. He also had two special young men he called his sons, Jacob Plato and Craig Bertsch, Yacolt, Washington, a special aunt, Ruth McKowen, Ben Lomand, California, as well as many nieces and nephews and a host of friends.

Published by The Pierce County Tribune, Aug. 12, 2023