Obituary of Lawrence Edward Leary

Eulogy

Lawrence Leary was a father and Husband unlike any other. His selfless acts, strong Family values and work ethic were just a few of the things that made him the incredible man he was. He had so much love and knowledge to give and willingly and joyfully shared both with everyone he met.  From how to shoot a gun to what types of berries are safe for human consumption he was not afraid to share every lesson he learned in his life to make everyone’s lives better.

Lawrence was born on February 18, 1944 and spent his childhood growing up in Tete Juane B.C. he spent his youth exploring and adventuring through the surrounding mountains learning many things he taught his family later in life. When he was 19 years old he met his lifelong love Linda in the nearby town of Valemount B.C  and After a brief courting they were married in Prince George B.C on May 26, 1964. One of Lawrence and Linda’s fondest memories was spending their honeymoon planting their first vegetable garden which became a lifelong tradition.

Their married life began on their farm in Tete Juane and they were blessed with their first son Shane. He was a joy for them and kept them laughing when he refused to eat chocolate ice cream because it was “dirty”. And then their daughter Autumn was born, the only girl they would have. She had a huge imagination and while she could do no wrong, her imaginary friend Tum sure did get into a lot of trouble. Autumn was followed by their second son Pat. When he was small the older kids used him as a personal guinea pig .They convinced him to go milk the cow which proceeded to kick him right out of the barn doors. Their time on the farm held many fond memories for them all such as the time Lawrence thought he would repair the television, when he proceeded to shove the screwdriver into the back of the tv in an split second he was blown clear across the room and into a wall. When he finally gathered himself up off the floor he looked over at Linda and said “Did you see that Squeak?!” And squeak was his nickname for his beloved wife throughout his life.

In 1973 Lawrence packed up his family and they moved to Likley, B.C where they soon welcomed another son into the family. Blane aka BUG was a little smarty! He once told his grade 1 teacher that his dad “borned” him in Williams Lake. While in Likely Lawrence began his logging career, a job which quickly became a lifelong passion. No one could run a buncher like Lawrence could and he was well respected in his professional life. He shared his passion for logging with his family and taught everyone from his children to his great grandchildren how to run and repair equipment. All the family have special memories of spending time out on the machines with him.

Lawrence followed his love of logging to the city of Quesnel B.C in 1977. He settled his family here and made this their forever home. A home filled with so much love! In 1986 he welcomed the first of 10 grandchildren into his life who affectionately would all come to call him Pamp as his oldest grandson Shawn couldn’t say grandpa.

And Pamp the legend was born, a hero to everyone in his family.

Big family gatherings were his favourite! He had a knack for awesome homemade eggnog and monster 40lb turkeys which he would always custom order for every event. Always the biggest and best for his family! And his family grew even more as he had 8 Great grandchildren who were all blessed to meet him, know him and be so loved by him.

This amazing family was all built from the timeless love he shared with his wife Linda, who he proved time and time again he would move mountains for.

If there is anything we could all learn from Pamp it is to live life selflessly, Love completely, forgive easily  and keep a smile on your face through it all. His heart was big enough to leave a piece behind for each member of the family and they will all cherish it always.

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There will be a memorial service for Lawrence Leary on Friday July 27th at 1:00 pm at Clayton's Funeral Directors event hall. Following the interment at the Quesnel Cememtery at 2:00pm, the family invites you to join them for refreshments and to share memories of Lawrence at the Barlow Creek Hall.