Larry Eugene Waldrop

Larry Eugene Waldrop was born in Dallas, Texas, on December 19, 1945, to Buford and Thora Waldrop. The fourth of five children, he was raised in Richardson, where he became an Eagle Scout and proud Richardson Eagle, serving as president of the Class of 1964 and excelling in baseball and football.

He earned a business degree from the University of North Texas where he was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. He served in the United States Army including five years in the Army Reserve, Judge Advocate General unit. He loved his country and was proud to be an American.

He lived briefly in Newport News, Virginia where his daughter, Kelly, was born.

In 1980, Larry married the love of his life, Linda Waldrop. Together, they shared 46 years of marriage, travel, business ventures, family, and friendships.

An entrepreneur, Larry founded Waldrop Construction and contributed to major Dallas projects, including Campbell Centre, Arthur’s Restaurant, Sakowitz Village, and the early development of the Dallas Galleria. In 1984, he co-founded the Dallas Grand Prix, bringing Formula One racing to Dallas. At the time it was the largest F1 event in North America. This remained one of his proudest accomplishments.

Larry and Linda also lived in Northern California, where he led residential developments and owned restaurants, before returning to Dallas in 1992. He later worked with Golden Gaming in Kansas City, lobbied to legalize gaming in Kansas, and won.

Larry loved golf, especially at Pebble Beach and the Old Course at St Andrews, where he won a tournament. He also enjoyed traveling, building businesses, and spending time with family and friends.

Diagnosed with stage III lung cancer in 2015, Larry persevered through years of treatment, health challenges, and chronic pain. He was proud to be an eleven-year cancer survivor.

Larry was a member of First Baptist Church of Dallas and worshiped online every Sunday. He recommitted to his faith and trusted God had a purpose for his pain. This faith carried him through his final years. He was grateful for the devoted love Linda gave their whole marriage, but especially as his caregiver the last several years. He passed away on October 24, 2026, at age 80.

He is survived by his wife, Linda; daughter, Kelly Lashar, and her husband, Tim; granddaughters, Courtney Lashar, Jaclyn Lashar, and Elizabeth Lashar; brothers, Charles Waldrop and Buford Waldrop (Kathy) ; brothers-in-law, Tommy DeLeon (Suzie) ; sister-in-law, Olivia DeLeon Jones

He was preceded in death by his parents Buford and Thora, sister Shirley, brother Michael, brother-in-laws: James Stephens and Charles Jones and many dear friends.

Larry will be remembered for his adventurous spirit, entrepreneurial drive, love of family and country, devotion to Linda, and enduring faith.