Larry Jack Houston

Larry J. Houston, 79, of Bloomington, IL and formerly of Fort Collins, CO passed away Thursday, September 30, 2021, at 7:30 a.m. He was born January 28, 1942, in St. Albans, VT, the son of Irene (Jones) and Theodore (Alias: Olin Ward Hodge) Houston. Larry spent his childhood years in foster care. He married the love of his life, C. Annie (Burgess) Fike in 1984.

He is survived by his loving wife of 37 years, Annie; step-children, Laurie (Charles) Kunkel and Roger (Ann) Fike; four grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren; mother, Irene Houston Quintin; brothers, Gary (Bette) Houston, John (Kathy) Jones; sisters, Terry Potter, Marilyn (Russell) Comstock; and his little dog, Daisy. He was preceded in death by his father and one sister.

After graduation, Larry enlisted in the United States Navy as a Medic on one of the first nuclear subs. While in the Navy, he met and played golf with Bob Hope and took singer Barbara McNair on a motorcycle ride. Following his service in the Navy, Larry became a firefighter in Hawaii, where he honed his cooking skills for the team of firefighters. He also delivered babies, Search and Rescue and loved to scuba dive.

Later, Larry moved to Colorado and worked with Forestry, tracking bears and other animals to keep them safe and preserve their habitats. He also assisted with controlled burns. After coming down from the Rocky Mountains, Larry worked in street maintenance, snow removal, flooding and later was in charge of making and maintaining all signage for the City of Fort Collins Street Department. He retired after 47 years. Larry held various offices in the Moose Lodge, Elk Lodge and the American Legion while in Fort Collins. He loved camping with his fellow Moose and Elk lodges.

After retirement, he and Annie moved to Bloomington, IL and continued to participate with the Moose and Elk Lodges. They also enjoyed his and Annie’s campsites at Hickory Hills Campground in El Paso, IL. They were also snowbirds in Yuma, AZ for many years.

Even though Larry loved all his puppies throughout the years, his best friend and buddy was “Lil Bear” the tiny black toy poodle that he and Annie rescued. Lil Bear was named after Larry, who was known as “Lar Bear”.

Larry will be deeply missed by his family and friends, but we know that he is no longer in pain and that he has the answers to any question he ever pondered upon.

A visitation to celebrate the life of Larry will be held from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday, October 18, 2021, with services to follow at East Lawn Funeral Home 1102 Airport Road, Bloomington, IL. A committal service with military rites will be in Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery 20953 W Hoff Rd, Elwood, IL 60421 at 2 p.m. Tuesday, October 19, 2021.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Wish Bone Rescue, 2020 Bunn Street, Bloomington, IL 61704.

Condolences and memories may be left with the family at eastlawnmemorial.com.