Obituary of Larry Banks

LARRY REGINALD BANKS March 22, 1945 - July 22, 2015 Our lives have changed forever with the passing of a beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather, Brother, Uncle, Nephew, Cousin and Friend…...and despite Larry's long illness and struggles...our sense of loss is overwhelming. Larry passed away at home, which was his wish and we draw comfort in knowing that scripture tells us “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”(2 Corinthians 5:6-8). Larry had been in failing health for many years, showing signs of Dementia as far back as 1998 and then in 2005 was also diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Larry was a life long resident of Barker’s Point and son of the late Raymond and Mae (Clark) Banks. Larry was married to Judy (Lovegrove) Banks. They started dating in high school. August 27, 2014 marked their 50th Wedding Anniversary and it was rare to see one without the other. Larry was a wonderful Husband, a great Father and an even better Grandfather. He leaves his 3 daughters and their husbands, Susan and Kurt Allen, Jodie and Roger Shannon and Vicki and Steve Lanteigne; his 8 grandchildren, Jake, Jordan and Taylor Lynn Allen, Zach and Elizabeth Shannon and Abby, Kara and Maya Lanteigne. Jake was not quite a year old when he started calling Larry " Bub" and so it was that he was Bub to all his grandchildren. They were his babies and he loved them so... He also leaves his sisters, Joan (Pat) Peterson, Betty (Jim, deceased) White and Barbara (Dave) Wilson; brothers, Bill (Gayle), Doug (Nora), Ken (Maryella) and Danny (Barb); mother-in-law, Nora Lovegrove; sisters-in-law, Susan (Gary) Thomson and Janet Lovegrove; 42 nieces and nephews; his aunts, Bea Meisner, Joyce Gilks, and Pearl Banks as well as 47 first cousins. Larry’s presence at Corbett Avenue Wesleyan Church spanned over 60 years where he served as Sunday School Superintendent as well as a teacher, youth leader, Clubhouse worker, board member and for close to 40 years was involved in Corbett’s music program. Larry loved to sing, loved playing his drums and also served as a faithful choir member. Larry spent 33 years as an employee of NB Tel / Bell Aliant; where he started work on July 5, 1965 as an Installer. He moved into Management in the mid 70’s and then to Sales in 1982; a position he loved and where he found great success: winning the President’s Award on three different occasions. Larry always counted himself as fortunate to have worked with NB Tel and until recent years loved to share his great telephone stories. Larry retired on July 31, 1998. Larry played ball for over 25 years where he spent most of those years in the Fredericton Major Fastball League and was referred by many as “Larry Banks-Third Base”. He loved the game, and was always a star on the field, however, in later years his attention turned to hockey, only to have his illness rob him of the ability to follow the game. Larry’s illness caused him to miss some great hockey moments that he would have loved. These last few years have been very difficult for Larry, and most days were spent at 47 Hachey, however, he recently enjoyed a long wheelchair walk across the Walking Bridge and he loved the walking bridge and then got to spend time at Beulah Camp. We will never forget his great zest for life and how he always tried to follow the leading of the Lord, how he always encouraged us to do our best and made us believe that we could accomplish anything we set our mind to, and how he made us laugh with his silly songs and jokes. It really was a life well lived. Life without Larry will be hard and we will never stop missing him. A Memorial Service will take place at Corbett Avenue Wesleyan on Sunday, July 26, 2015 at 3 pm. For those who wish, remembrances may be made to Parkinson Society or the charity of the donor’s choice. Personal condolences may be offered through www.yorkfh.com