Larry Lee Hosler

He will be remembered as a warm, engaging, easygoing man who had a knack for making you feel like you were truly seen and heard. Every morning, he would sit on this front porch and watch the hummingbirds and wave to and talk with his neighbors. He had a routine: Sunday, 9am service at Christ’s Church of the Valley; Tuesday, Bible Study and then Hand-and-Foot ( a lovely mixture of religion and gambling); Wednesday, Pinochle; Thursday, Dominos; Friday, more Pinochle and then TGIF potluck with his friends at Brighton Parks. And of course, at 7:00 – Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. As Broadway dims the lights when a luminary dies, I think somewhere on the sets of Jeopardy and Wheel, the lights momentarily flickered.

He will be remembered for his smoked salmon, the art of which he passed on to Julie, and together they became known as “The Smokin’ Hot Hoslers.” During his life, he was a devoted husband and father, a dedicated teacher, and a lifelong friend to so many wonderful people.

Larry was born in Huntington, IN, October 25, 1937 to Ora and Miriam Hosler. He spent his formative years in Fort Wayne, IN , but dearly remembered spending summers in Huntington on his grandparents’ farm. The picture that he gazed at as a young boy in his grandparents’ home, hangs in his bedroom now. He graduated from Northside High in 1955. Almost immediately afterward, in 1956, he enlisted in the US Army, against the pleadings of his father. He was stationed in Alaska, on St. Lawrence Island, on the Bering Sea, not far from the Russian Border. This was during the cold war between Russia and the USA. While he was stationed at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, he met his future wife, Rita Ventura. They courted via the US Mail for two years, and eventually married in Worcester, Massachusetts at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel church in 1959. Two years later, they welcomed their first daughter, Maria. Larry moved his family back to Indiana so that he could attend college. He obtained his BA from Indiana University in 1964 with a double major of American History and English Literature. The family welcomed daughter #2, Julie, in July 1965, and the family moved to Muncie, IN, where daughter #3, Gigi, was born in September, 1966. Larry obtained his MA from Ball State University in 1967 and immediately accepted a teaching position at Foothill High in Bakersfield, CA. Larry loved Bakersfield and he and his family made lifelong friends. His thirty year career included many years at Foothill, teaching Special Ed; a few years at Arvin High as a counselor, and wrapping up at Ruggenberg Career Center as Dean of Students before retiring in 1997. Larry and Rita spent their retirement years playing with their beloved grandchildren and traveling the world. They were both very engaged with family, friends, and each other. Larry lost his wife of 52 years on (coincidentally) July 4, 2011. He moved to Brighton Parks, active senior community because he wanted to be able to socialize. And socialize, he did. He will be sorely missed by his many friends.

Larry is predeceased by his wife, Rita (2011). He leaves behind his brother, Bob Hosler (wife Deanna), daughters Maria Orloff, Gigi Barnes (husband Brad) and Julie Hosler (husband Damaso). He leaves five grandchildren (the joy of his life): Forest Barnes, Gracie Barnes, Trevor Barnes, Giselle Lee Hosler, and Eric Lee Hosler.

There will be a private interment at Hillcrest Memorial Park for his immediate family. We will have a Celebration of Life at Brighton Parks, the date of which is yet to be determined.