Lawrence Edward Hamlet

Lawrence Edward (Larry) Hamlet was born on November 4, 1934 in Washington D.C. to George Baker Hamlet and Dorothy Mable Lewis. He had one brother George Byron Hamlet and one sister Catherine Joyce Hamlet and 2 half-sisters Roberta and Beverly Sternenburg. He had a less than easy childhood bouncing between foster homes and his mother. He finally found some stability with his Aunt Helen and Uncle Smithy. They managed to put him thru Catholic School where he was finally accepted and treated well. He thrived in CYO Sports and was a bit of a football hero. Unfortunately, this was the end of his formal education. When the Korean War broke out Larry, with a bunch of his friends joined the National Guard with his mother’s permission at 15 yrs old. He didn’t see combat, but was instead sent to Germany to help with the country’s restoration. When it was found out that he was underage, he was honorably discharged.

He went back to live with his mother and work, when he met his first wife Judy. Not long after, his first son Larry was born. That marriage didn’t last long. Soon after he was able to get the opportunity to attend an Aircraft Mechanics School. He completed the courses needed and received his Aircraft and Powerplant (A & P) License. This A&P License opened up a whole new world. He ended up working for Delta Airlines in multiple cities including Dallas and Houston and eventually Los Angeles which was a great turning point. He met and married Rosie, who he was married to for 58 years. He learned to fly helicopters and eventually airplanes which he couldn’t have done without the encouragement of his wife Rosie. While working at Delta he met friends that would be his core group of friends to this day.

While working on a project, at Delta, for Beech Aircraft he was offered a job in Kansas for a lot more money. He and Rosie moved to Wichita, Kansas. It was here that his son Clark was born in 1968. He was integral to the development of their new aircraft the “King Air” which is still popular today. He then worked for multiple aircraft companies over the years in a developmental capacity; Swaeringen Aircraft, Shawnee airlines, Airwork Services. After these he was hired by the Dee Howard company in San Antonio, TX. Dee Howard was an aviation superstar at the time and Larry reported directly to him. He worked on the program for a new product for the Lear Jet, now known as the “thrust reverser”. It slowed down the aircraft at the time of landing. This job allowed him to fly the Lear Jet, which he was absolutely thrilled to do. This was when he and Rosie adopted his beloved daughters Jo Ann and Roxanne.

After Dee Howard, he went on his own partnering up with various investors to open different aircraft dealerships and maintenance stations. When he was done with this, he had built more operations at the San Antonio Airport than anyone else. Many of these operations remain until this day. He then took on a project for Austral Airlines in Buenos Areas, Argentina to get them back into compliance with the FAA. He was given the title of VP of Maintenance, which was impressive for this size of airline. The project took 2 years and this is when he decided to retire from the aviation business.

He then did volunteer work for the United Way where he worked the suicide hot line and for CASA as a Court Appointed Child Advocate. These causes were near his heart and he was good at it being named “Advocate of the Year” in 1999. He also started a small rebar business with his step cousin Richard. After the death of his partner Richard, he retired from everything all together to enjoy his wife, family and grandkids until his death on July 6, 2021.

Larry Hamlet was an exceptional Father and Husband. He loved his wife and family more than life itself. He had a heart of gold and would drop anything to selflessly help anyone. He was a loyal friend to a fault, but did not mince words as to be totally honest. Whether they liked it or not, he told anyone what they needed to hear to make them better. He will be greatly missed.

He is survived by his wife of 58 years Rosie, his children Clark Hamlet, Jo Ann Hamlet and Roxanne Hamlet. Grandchildren, Dylan Hamlet, Spencer Hamlet, Sydney Hamlet, Nichole Ricarte, Zachaury Salinas and Leigh Ingham.

Services will be on July, 19, 2021 at 10:00am at:

St. Joseph Catholic Church (Bulverde)

25781 TX-46,

Spring Branch, TX 78070

Burial to immediately follow, behind the church