Larry Klopp

Larry was born October 26, 1933 to Chester Henry and Elta Morrow Klopp in St. James, MN. He was the youngest of three children by 10 years. In the wake of the depression his family moved frequently to find work. During his elementary years they settled for a time in Oklahoma and Texas living in a laborer’s tent city with communal bathing and privies. His mother worked as a cook and his father worked construction, including helping to build Ft. Hood at the beginning of World War II. Sister Betty married. Brother Wayne went to war. Larry, now back in St. James, worked for his father’s construction business while a student.

Larry looked up to his brother Wayne, a war-time B-17 bomber pilot stationed in England. He yielded when Wayne insisted that he earn a college degree as he did. Larry joked that his acceptance to Hamline University, a Methodist-affiliated school in St. Paul, must have been due to Wayne’s legacy at the school or his mother’s work in the church; definitely not his high school record.

He had a plan. Complete two years of college then enlist. In 1953, after his sophomore year, he started Naval aviator training. Flying was a dream, but he was equally excited by an assignment to Navy recruiting. In the role of the dashing pilot, he landed on college campuses in a helicopter, recruited students, and provided interviews for radio and TV; his first sales job.

Two years later he was discharged and returned to college where he met his future wife at a mixer. Larry Klopp and Jacquilyn Skinner married the following spring, in 1956 in Woodbury, MN. He graduated in Economics and Mathematics and went into sales full-time in the financial services industry.

Before his daughters were out of elementary school, he left employment for self-employment. He also left the starter house to move his young family to the suburbs and White Bear Lake. There, summer recreation centered around the lake with water skiing, competitive sailing, a growing number of friends, and golf.

Larry spent more than 35 years growing his insurance and investment brokerage business. He developed a network of hundreds of sales agents stretching from small-town bank clients in the Dakotas, to major employer benefit package clients such as Hennepin County (Minneapolis area).

The “Echo Street Yacht Club” expanded too, over the years to include sail boats in different racing classes, land for lakeside gatherings, and dock space for friend’s boats.

Larry’s success allowed travel, a winter home on the Gulf, a foray into beachfront condo development on Little Hickory Island, FL, and giving back, such as the endowed scholarship for business students at his alma mater, Hamline. After retiring Larry was finally able to spend more time golfing, thrilling for a hole-in-one-at Oneka Ridge (Hugo, MN) and still swinging the clubs at 92.

His beloved wife Jackie predeceased him in March after 72 years of marriage. Never far apart, they are now together again.

Larry is survived by daughters Laura E. Godfrey of Greenville, SC and Lisa A. Klopp of Bonita Springs, FL, and granddaughters Lindsey E. Mathewson (Ross Bukouricz), Elizabeth R. Godfrey (Scott Sheppard) and Kara Mathewson Benjamin (Dan) and great-grandson Theodore J. Benjamin.

The family will schedule a private interment of Larry and Jackie’s remains at Woodbury United Methodist Church, Woodbury, MN.