Lawrence Francis Hastings

Born on April 22, 1940, Lawrence "Larry" was the second son of George Sr., an Army captain, and Theresa, a former Harvey Girl. The renowned Harvey Girl association that served the rail roads had assigned Theresa a few years earlier to the Grand Canyon, where she met the captain, who was leading the Civilian Conservation Corps in building trails in the new national park. As sweethearts, one of their favorite things to do was to ride down into the canyon together.

For their two boys – Larry and his older brother, George Jr. – one of the biggest forces in their early lives was WW II. Living in California in the early 1940s, they recalled having to keep the headlights off as they drove at night and to black out the windows at home to hide from potential bombers. When Larry was 2, George Sr. went to serve in Germany and didn’t see his family for five years. Theresa took Larry and George Jr. to live with her big Slovenian family in their tiny house in Kansas City. Theresa worked with the Red Cross to support the troops and that required Larry to do his part in the war effort, to start kindergarten at age 4. The nuns were strict, but the little guy toughed through it. Maybe that is where his lifelong “can-do” spirit began.

After Victory Day, the family made the long trip to join George Sr. in Regensberg, Germany, where he helped govern the U.S. Zone. After the cottage where Larry had just lived in Kansas City, it must have been a shock to see the new family house – a mansion that had been confiscated from a Nazi leader. Larry enjoyed exploring the quaint town and playing along the picturesque Rhine River, and this early experience abroad influenced his lifelong interest in history and travel and his overall joie de vivre.

After two years, George Sr.'s stint in Germany came to an end. The family was stationed in the southeast, where Larry, by then a scrappy 11-year-old, made extra cash picking up bowling pins at the base bowling alley, since pin retrieval was not yet automated. They then lived briefly in San Francisco, and Larry loved getting around the bayside city in a trolley. Next, George Sr. and the family were sent to Tokyo, where they experienced life in a home with paper walls and enjoyed many a meal at the Tsukiji Fish Market. Larry always looked back at his time in Japan and Germany with great fondness.

Next, the family moved to Missouri where Larry rekindled his entrepreneurial spirit, caddying at the base golf course. He and George Jr. made extra cash by selling lost golf balls back to the officers for 25 cents. He then moved back with his grandparents in Kansas City for a year, where he relished spending time with his 26 Slovenian first cousins. Around 1957, George Sr. retired from the military and returned with his family to his native Arizona, where Larry graduated from Scottsdale High School – his 12th school in 12 years.

Larry attended University of Arizona, studying business and joining Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. It was at an ATO keg party in the desert that Larry asked a certain blond junior named Dee to dance. She made it clear that she and her date that night were just friends. Larry asked her out for a coffee on a Sunday, as he had a Friday- and Saturday-night girlfriend already. She fell for his blue eyes and his intelligence; he fell for her friendliness and beauty. The two upgraded their relationship to Friday night status, and that led to 62 happy years of marriage.

Shortly after graduation in 1962, Larry started working at Salt River Project utility in Arizona, the beginning of a 40-year-career buying oil and natural gas. The couple made great friends in Phoenix and valued time with their parents, all who lived nearby. When the kids arrived, they took them snow skiing in Flagstaff, boogie boarding in California and camping in Arizona’s White Mountains. Hiking with the kids, teaching them to fish and his son to hunt, Larry was an overall devoted family man and outdoor enthusiast.

In 1982, Larry accepted a position with San Diego Gas and Electric and moved with the family to San Diego. Larry negotiated contracts and transmission rights with utilities and cities throughout the southwest and California to bring power to San Diego. He negotiated fuel purchases for local power plants and later became a natural gas trader, buying and selling futures and physical gas derivatives on the New York Mercantile Exchange. That day trading job required that he be at his desk at 6 am for several years. When Sempra folded that operation into SoCal Gas Company, Larry finally retired at age 67.

Retirement brought new adventures. One was the joy of grandparenthood. Seven grandchildren were born from 1996 to 2008. Larry loved to rock a baby and was so good at piggyback rides that he had his own baby backpack. He kept up his hour-long daily swim until he was 82 and rekindled his love of travel. He and Dee went on several trips to Europe, cruises to Alaska, the Caribbean and up the Rhine and the Rhone rivers, plus many domestic trips with friends. In his last year, he lamented never taking a Mediterranean cruise. He had always hoped to see Spain.

One of Larry’s strongest qualities was that he was a Cool Cucumber, as one granddaughter called him. He was always soft-spoken, a man of few words, with a deep voice and a mostly calm demeanor. When he needed to say something, he did it with quiet strength. That’s probably why he made a good trader. Though he was mellow, he always had a mischievous sense of humor. When you’d ask him at age 84 what was on his agenda, he’d say, “Headed to the Belly-Up Tavern today.”

His faith in God grew stronger at the end. He was not ready to die but he did say that he was ready to see Jesus. The last week we spent with Larry at home was so special. Coherent to the last, he told us how much he loved us, and we were able to do the same to him.

Larry is remembered lovingly by his wife of 62 years, three children, their spouses, seven grandchildren, two grandsons-in-law, and a great-grandson. A memorial mass was held for Larry in January, and he was laid to rest at El Camino Memorial Park in San Diego.