Larry Charles Riegel

Larry Charles Riegel, 77, went to be with the Lord on August 19, 2021, after a short battle with Covid.

Larry was born on October 21, 1943, in Braymer, Missouri, the son of Alta (Cox) and Charles Riegel. He was the fourth child, having three older sisters. Larry’s mother died when he was in eighth grade, and his three sisters helped to raise him to be a loving, caring man.  Larry graduated from Braymer High School in 1961, and then joined the United States Air Force.

Larry met the love of his life, Linda (Cooper) in Marinette, Wisconsin, while he was stationed near there with the Air Force. They were united in marriage on October 15, 1966. After Larry left the service, they moved to Kansas City where they had their first child, Mark, in 1969. The family moved to Colorado for a brief time before returning to the Kansas City area where they had their two daughters, Amie, in 1973, and April, in 1976.  They lived in Kearney and Holt for a time before moving to Marshfield, Missouri. During that time Larry and Linda owned and operated a shoe store on the square in Marshfield. Mark graduated high school in Marshfield and then the family moved to Excelsior Springs where Amie and April graduated high school.

Larry loved the Lord and enjoyed sharing the Gospel of Christ with anyone he met. He made friends everywhere and continued those friendships forever.  Larry was active in all of the churches he attended throughout his life, and he met many amazing friends he loved to fellowship with.  He and Linda loved spending time with their three children and eight grandchildren. After Linda’s death in 2017 from pulmonary fibrosis, Larry picked back up his favorite hobby of playing golf. He had a regular crew of golfing buddies that he would play with several times a week.  Larry also loved visiting his friends Joe Arnold in Florida and Wayne Sims in Colorado each year. Another of Larry’s favorite things to do was fellowship with friends. From his weekly bible studies with Wayne Johnston to the yearly class reunions in Braymer, he was always ready to sit and talk.

Larry was preceded in death by his parents, Alta and Charles Riegel; his sisters, Dorothy Kavanaugh and Iris Clevenger; and his loving wife, Linda, of 51 years of marriage.

He is survived by one sister, Kate Lewis; three children, Mark (Nicole) Riegel of Excelsior Springs, Amie (Chris) Donaldson of Leawood, and April (Scott) Craven of Excelsior Springs. He is also survived by his eight grandchildren, Madeline, Emma, Owen, Trent, Megan, Ian, Garret, and Finn.

Larry will be sadly missed by all of his family and friends, but we are at peace knowing that he is with his Heavenly Father and with his wife in Heaven.

Visitation will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, September 4, 2021, with a celebration of life service following at 3 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Kearney, Missouri.

Arrangements in care of Bross & Spidle Funeral Home, Excelsior Springs.