Lawrence B. Sears

Lawrence B. Sears (“Larry”) of Back Bay passed away on September 4, 2026, after a short stay at B&W Hospital.

Larry was born to Dr. and Mrs. John Sears of Brookline, MA, on June 3, 1936. As a young man, he lived on Amory St. in Brookline and credited his love and ability in tennis to learning to play at the Amory St. playground. Larry graduated from Phillips Andover Academy, Harvard University (1958), and Stanford Business School (1960), before moving to Paris, France, where he worked at Le Printemps, Columbia Pictures, and, for many years, the International Herald Tribune (“IHT”). While at IHT, he traveled extensively throughout Europe and Africa and assisted in the start of the Asian IHT in Hong Kong.

Larry was dedicated to both IHT and racket sports. He was a varsity tennis player at Harvard in the 1950s and captained the Harvard squash team. He played for both the U.S. and French teams in numerous national and international tournaments and won first place in many USTA and ITF tournaments across the U.S. and around the world. Larry returned to Boston in 2008 to live with his partner, Carol Chandler, and became an active senior player at the Longwood Cricket Club.

Larry was a kind and gentle soul who never forgot the errors he had made in games he had lost. He was also a talented amateur magician who performed for his many friends. He enjoyed seeing and playing with friends and sharing good food. Larry loved his many friends, his partner Carol, brother, Harry Sears of Brookline and his cousins Harry and Thuong Ringel. He also delighted in traveling with Carol, with whom he shared the many places around the world where he had spent time and the friends he had made there. Together, they traveled to the Near and Far East, Europe, North Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Friends of Harvard Tennis at gocrimson.com/giving