Larry Lawrence Joseph Thorp

Larry was born on October 1, 1923, in Duluth, Minnesota, the only child of Lawrence and Clara Thorp. As a boy, he became interested in music, learning to play the piano and cornet and developing his love of singing. During his school years, he worked part time at his family’s grocery business, J.J. Thorp & Co., including helping his father with their marine supply business that delivered groceries to the various freight ships coming into Duluth and Superior, WI. Following graduation from Denfeld High School in 1941, Larry attended Duluth Jr. College until early 1943 when he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. After training as a pilot, Larry flew a B-26 Martin Marauder medium bomber in WWII, completing 23 missions.

When the war ended, Larry returned briefly to Duluth Jr. College before enrolling in the University of Minnesota in early 1946. In June of that year, he married his high school sweetheart, Dolores Szostak, in Duluth. They lived in Minneapolis, MN while he completed his studies, graduating in 1948 with a bachelor’s in chemical engineering. His degree took him to Procter & Gamble Mfg. Co. in Kansas City, KS until he accepted a job with Honeywell Corp. in Minneapolis in early 1957 so that they could be closer to his parents. The family, including four children, had a home in Edina, a suburb of Minneapolis, for the next 12 years. In early 1971, Larry accepted a job transfer with Honeywell to southern California. Although a big transition from living in Minnesota, southern California’s climate suited them well. His disdain for Minnesota winters was soon replaced with the satisfaction of being surrounded by orange groves. He quickly planted orange, peach and plum trees in their yard, and would come to yearly harvest the fruit from all of them. His jars of homemade jam and bags of oranges were appreciated by many.

Larry was an extrovert, blossoming from an only child into someone who enjoyed being with people and experiencing life in as many ways as possible. He joined organizations, professional and social groups to meet others and express his talents. He volunteered in many ways to show his support of organizations and initiatives, from becoming a Board member, president or associate to performing much-needed financial and other administrative duties. During his final years with Honeywell, he attended law classes in the evening at Western State University College of Law, received a law degree in late 1984 and was admitted to the California Bar. Following his retirement from Honeywell, he worked as a court-appointed attorney at San Bernardino County Family Court where he helped many families navigate the court system. He later worked part-time for H&R Block assisting tax filers.

Into his mid-90s and up to the point where the pandemic impacted us all, Larry maintained a full schedule of workouts at the gym, chorale, travel, church, Upland Travelers Club events, and lunches with friends—driving (yes, driving!) wherever he needed to go.

When asked what matters most to him, Larry responded “family, health, church, my voice and my country.” He demonstrated these priorities in many ways. His family was first on the list throughout his life. After losing his beloved wife Dolores in 2001, he began to regularly communicate with his children, grandchildren, nephew and cousins by handwriting them good old-fashioned “family letters.” These monthly, entertaining missives came with all manner of enclosures selected for the individual recipients, clipped from the local paper, magazines and other sources.

He took his health seriously; his regular exercise undoubtedly helped him recover from a bad broken femur in late 2013, even though he needed a rolling walker for the rest of his days. And he was proud of the fact that he did not drink alcohol, or smoke.

His church was also a very important part of his life, in Kansas, Minnesota and then for over 50 years in California. He joined the choir of course (it’s been said that choirs have always been, and remain, groups filled with fun-loving, creative people!) and was active in leadership positions during many of those years. He also initiated the creation and funding of the Westminster Presbyterian Church, Ontario, CA Endowment Fund.

Larry’s passion for music and singing was insatiable. He had a very nice tenor voice that held up well into his 90s. Not long after arriving in California, he joined the Louis Ronfeldt Chorale of Claremont, CA followed by becoming one of the earliest members of the new Mountainside Master Chorale, founded in 1994, also based in Claremont. He sang with them and continued to participate in practices and concerts, usually performing three concerts a year plus traveling to Europe several times. His family enjoyed attending his concerts and always thought he looked great in a tux! He also made many trips to the annual Bach Fest in Lake Chelan, Washington, with his close friend in the chorale, Jim Ottosen, where they sang with a group of about 50 people from surrounding towns.

His love of country was evident. He flew the American flag in his front yard and joined others in the Marauder Historical Society (MHS) in which he participated as president for many years. He enjoyed the camaraderie of yearly reunions with others from the 596th Squadron and the 397th Bomb Group Association and helped promote MHS memberships to the second generation, children of the WWII veterans. Larry was a proud veteran and enjoyed recounting stories about his service during the war. Whenever he had the chance, he would wear his blue Air Force uniform to events honoring veterans. He also was an active Air Force Reserve member for many years while in Minnesota, retiring from the USAF as a Lieutenant Colonel.

The family is grateful for the loving care provided by daughter-in-law Kimberley who lived with him and compassionate hired caregivers from Families Choice Home Care and Care Health Hospice Agency.

Larry will be dearly missed. He is survived by his son Stephen (Nancy), daughter Sandy Nussbaum (Peter), daughter-in-law Kimberley Thorp, granddaughters Oliva and Anne Thorp, grandson Michael Bennett (Alexis), nephew Jim Zawislak (Cheryl), and extended family. He was predeceased by his parents, Lawrence and Clara, wife Dolores, daughter Suzanne Thorp Freeman and son Christopher Thorp.

A memorial service/celebration of life will be held on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at:

Westminster Presbyterian Church

720 N. Sultana Avenue

Ontario CA 91764

The service will be followed by a light lunch in the church’s Fellowship Hall where we hope that you will share your memories of Larry.

Private burial at Oneota Cemetery, Duluth, MN.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to:

Westminster Presbyterian Church, westminsterpresontario.net

Mountainside Master Chorale, mountainsidemasterchorale.org

The Marauder Historical Society, b-26mhs.org