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Lawrence “Larry” Allen Isgro was born in Canton, Ohio, on February 8th, 1943, to William and Dorothy (Oyster) Isgro. He lived in Louisville, Ohio almost his entire life & was a graduate of Louisville High School, Class of 1961. In high school, Larry excelled in sports, earning many awards in football & track. After high school, he joined the US Army & was on the Army football team, playing in several countries across Europe. One of his greatest memories of his Army days was playing football in the same stadium where Jesse Owens had won gold medals in the 1936 Olympics with Hitler in attendance. Larry accepted Christ as a teenager when he & his brother hitchhiked to an FCA conference in Wisconsin, but just as the Apostle Peter struggled with his personality, Larry had his moments of struggle, too. He was baptized in February of 1965 after coming home from the Army & attending Louisville Baptist Temple & hearing the word taught by Pastor Bill Powers. He met his wife, Sally Ann Zirkle, at that same church & they were married on April 24th, 1966. They would've celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary next month. They went on to have a beautiful family...5 kids & their spouses, 15 grandchildren and one grandson-in-law, as well as 2 great grandchildren & another great grandson who went to be with the Lord at the time of his birth. Larry loved his family fiercely, and was proud of every single accomplishment each of them celebrated throughout their lives. He checked in on them often and tried to attend as many as of their events as possible, throughout every stage of his life. Larry was proud of his Italian & Swiss heritage, and in his 40s, he & Sally connected with relatives in Switzerland and enjoyed several visits there & also to Italy. He always had a love for geography & travel, and his sense of adventure took him all over Europe, to Peru on a mission trip, Mexico, Canada & to all 50 states by the time he turned 50. Flying was always a part of Larry's life. He was a licensed airplane pilot & he had no greater happiness than taking neighborhood kids, friends or family for a ride in the small plane he co-owned with a few of his flying buddies. On October 22nd, 1979, at 35 years of age, as a husband, and dad to 4 young kids, he became a licensed helicopter pilot...not an easy task! He flew helicopters for the Army National Guard and had many incredible adventures during his time as a helicopter pilot. Larry was always able to converse with anyone, anywhere. He was a friend to everyone he met. He loved to help others, whether it was working to serve meals at the mission shelter, helping family and friends move, or traveling to help a friend put on his socks after his hip replacement. He also loved taking his kids and grandkids for rides on the two-seater bike. Larry was a “pusher”...whether it was teaching his girls how to drive stick shift, pushing his boys to ride their small bikes up Howard Hill, or pushing his wife to be on time. :) He always loved animals, especially his favorite goat Ninny, and also his dogs and cat, Sammy. Another one of his favorite things was music. He loved all styles and genres, and that love has been passed down to his kids and grandkids, as well. Larry is one of the most patriotic people you've ever met. He loved his country, loved the military and prayed for the safety of our troops every single day. It was his honor to serve our country and he always kept his fellow soldiers on his mind and in his prayers. Above all, Larry loved The Lord. From the moment of his salvation as a teenager, he had many ups and downs in his faith walk, but he always knew The Lord was near to him, and his relationship with God really grew stronger, especially in his later years. The greatest joy in his heart came from knowing that his kids and grandkids also loved The Lord and that he would be able to spend eternity with them in heaven someday. That was his desire for every single one of his friends and family members, and he will always be remembered for the love & kindness he showed to others.
A celebration of Larry’s life will take place on Wednesday, March 17th, at Canton Baptist Temple. Calling hours begin at 9:30am with the funeral service immediately following at 11:00am. His burial will take place at 2pm in the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Seville, Ohio. In lieu of flowers, donations in Larry’s name can be made to Canton Baptist Temple Missions or JAARS. Stier-Israel Funeral Home 330-875-1414
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