Larry A. Laws

Larry is survived by: his three daughters, Julia Zottola of Tigard, OR, Laurel Laws of Springfield, OR and Chelsea Laws of Dexter, OR; niece, Ginger Aragon of Palm Springs, CA; nephew, Jerry Wallis of Gresham, OR; half-sister, LaVeta Day of Independence, OR and half-brother, Greg Laws of Portland, OR. Larry is also survived by four granddaughters and five grandsons.

Larry was preceded in death by his wife, Kathleen A. Laws; mother, Virginia Johnson; sister, Glenna Laws; and his father, Glen Laws.

Larry was born on January 6, 1933 in Leavenworth, Kansas to Virginia Moretti and Glen Laws. Larry graduated from Portland State College with a Bachelor of Arts in 1968.

Larry took to water at an early age and became and avid swimmer. He joined the Coast Guard in January 1955 and became fascinated with ships and diving. After the Coast Guard, Larry spent some time as a lifeguard at Rooster Rock (where he met Kathleen). Larry married Kathleen Howe in 1961 and their marriage lasted 57 years, until Kathleen's passing in 2017. Over his lifetime, Larry owned several boats to include The Black Watch, which was his pride and joy for some time.

After moving to Mill Valley, CA he began working for the National Investigative Services as an interrogator. Subsequently, he began his police work for the Milwaukie PD in the mid-60's. He remained in police work for the rest of his career until he retired as the Sherwood police chief.

In the late 60's and into the 70's, Larry and Kathleen welcomed three daughters into their home. They set about raising their children in the Catholic faith. Larry was passionate about his faith and his family remembers him for his generosity with the church over the years.

Throughout Larry's adult life, he was continually tinkering with everything he could get his hands on, most notably boats, motorcycles, cars and woodworking. He was dedicated to fixing things his way and only using a professional in dire circumstances.

A Recitation of the Rosary will be held on February 19, 2022 at Zeller Chapel of the Roses Funeral Home at 2:00 p.m. Larry and Kathleen will be interred at Willamette National Cemetery. The family would like to thank the Bonaventure of Tigard staff for caring for their father in his time of need as well as the Hospice team from Providence for their supportive care during the last few months of Larry's life.