Larry Findley

Larry was born June 1st, 1939, in Trenton, Missouri. He attended Trenton High School and graduated in 1957. When he was 20, he moved to Lincoln, Nebraska. He worked in construction for a short time before beginning a job with Lincoln Parks and Recreation in June, 1959. While living and working in Lincoln, Larry was drafted in 1962, to an auxiliary unit in the Army. He served at several bases stateside before being honorably discharged in 1964, returning to Lincoln and his career with Lincoln Parks and Recreation.

Larry had been friends with Betty Campbell, Janice Campbell’s younger sister, while in high school in Trenton, Missouri. In 1964, through Betty, he met Janice, who had recently moved to Lincoln with her children, Tony (age 9) and Denise (age 7). Larry and Janice’s first date was on New Year’s Eve 1964. They began dating on the regular after Larry came by to dig Janice and the kids out of a 24” snowfall in early 1965. Larry and Janice married on July 31, 1965, at a small rural church near Trenton, Missouri. Together, they raised Tony and Denise in Lincoln.

Larry worked for Lincoln Parks and Recreation for over 30 years. He began in the Forestry section, planting, trimming and removing trees around the city. He later worked in the Heavy Equipment section, better known as “The Dodge Boys”, named after the Dodge dump trucks they drove. After Holmes Lake Park was built in 1965, and the Southeast District Maintenance Shop was established, Larry spent the rest of his career working there. If you take a drive or walk through Holmes Lake Park, you’ll be among the trees that Larry planted.

Larry was an avid dirt bike rider and a member of the Rock Riders Club of southern Nebraska. He began riding MotoTrials in the early 1970s. He developed a reputation for riding so smoothly through courses that he gained the nickname “Pudding” among the Club. Larry and the Rock Riders bought an inactive rock quarry near Nehawka, Nebraska, in 1987. They turned the quarry into a motorcycle park where Larry continued participating in riding, and helped facilitate and judge MotoTrials that the club and quarry hosted.

It was at this quarry that Larry immersed his five grandchildren in the world of camping, exploring, climbing, searching for fossils, catching toads, and riding dirt bikes. Larry loved spending time with the grandchildren whether at the quarry or at home in Lincoln. He included them in woodworking in the garage, built them a treehouse in the backyard, and even put in a pool for all to enjoy. These experiences created wonderful memories for them all.

After retiring in 1994, Larry and Janice entered a nomadic life, traveling in their RV across the West. They visited numerous National Parks and met up with friends at RV rallies. They found a favorite place near Kerrville, Texas, where they spent several winters and took their visitors into San Antonio. Later they discovered Voyager RV Resort, a retirement community in Tucson, Arizona, for a home-away-from-home in the winter months. Here they eventually purchased a house within the park where they hosted many friends and family members over the winters.

Larry and Janice were able to live together at their home in Lincoln until the summer of 2024. They moved together to a memory care home, where they were able to receive the care and help they needed. It was in memory and hospice care that Larry passed away.

Larry is survived by his wife of 59 years, Janice (Campbell) Findley; two stepchildren, Tony Metcalf (wife Diana) of Lincoln, NE, and Denise (Metcalf) Bratt of Eagle, NE; Grandchildren Tammy (Bratt) Kahle (husband Blaine) and their children Ember and Owen, Lisa (Metcalf) Sparks (husband Jesse) and their children Abigail, Jack and Molly, Shelly Metcalf and her children Payton, Layla and Micah, Heather Bratt and her children Kaden and Kiley, and grandson Jason Bratt, all of Lincoln.

An internment and reception will be held at Lincoln Memorial Park, in Lincoln Nebraska, on Wednesday, January 22, 2025 at 10:00 am. The family will greet you in the lobby beginning at 9:30 am.