I am an unlikely testimonial for Larry Hoey, but feel moved to do so anyway.  Chris Keller had been my wife for sixteen years, and the mother of my five children, all of whom we raised together despite our divorce in 1987.  The family always came together for birthdays, holidays, and special occasions, meeting at Chris's home for the most part.  It was there that I met Larry, and from then on he was always a part of our celebrations.  Due to Larry's great and generous character, I was never ill at ease with him as I tended to be with some who offered to take my place in the family. 

I remember one time when I called Chris and invited her over for dessert to celebrate the birthday of one of our sons.  She responded that she would come, but Larry would be coming, too.  "Is that all right?" she asked.  "Bring him along," I said. "He is part of the family."  And so he was. 

He confided in me not long ago, that he felt privileged to take part in our family get-togethers.  Not having a family of his own, he said, it was a delight to watch the children develop, especially Kateri, who grew from a vivacious eight year old, to the lovely young woman she is now.  At her eighteenth birthday he presented her with an awesome 24 by 36 inch framed montage of pictures of her he had taken over the ten year period that marked their friendship. 

The interesting fact in all of this is that, as kind and as generous as he was to my children, Larry never presumed to take my place as the Father.  He told me he would never do that.  His gifts were always presented last, and in that unassuming manner of his, he would quietly delight in the pleasure afforded by his simple gifts. And, on a lighter note, he liked my cooking, too!

So what can I, as an outsider of that giant circle of friends of his, say about his passing.  Very little, except that, when he left all of you he was doing what he did best and loved the most. May we all be able to have that said about us. For now, all I can do for the members of my family, and Chris, and all of you, is sit for a moment and weep with you.

Addendum:
There were many wonderful testimonies, some prepared, some spontaneous, all effective.  It was an experience that will not be forgotten by anyone who attended, especially by all my children and their partners.

Without becoming too much of a burden (hopefully) I would like to add two comments for those friends of Larry who are already on this web site as well as any who may read your wonderful page.

First, I wish to touch on something of which I have personal experience: Letting Go.  I am not sure who wrote it, but somewhere there is a wise bit of advice that says: "If you love something, let it go.  If it returns to you, it is yours indeed.  If it does not, then it never was."  It was time for Larry to go, to grow to another dimension of greatness, to leave his earthly abode to meet and conquer new challenges.  He will not be back.  While we feel the pangs of his
passing, it is a positive act of love our our part to let him go and to wish him well.

The second part of this flows from the first.  After my graduation with a Bachelor's Degree I spent another four years of graduate work studying the Judeo-Christian writing we know as the Bible.  Accompanying this was the study of Theology, the history of Religion, the Meaning and Purpose of Life, and other ancillary courses related to my field.  Nothing was more prevailing in all of this than the reality of Life after Death.

But it took the passing of Larry to bring this reality home in a way far more poignant than all my years of study.  When you consider that brilliant mind, that enormous talent, that genuine humble magnanimity of his, it is impossible for us to believe that it could all end in a dirty ditch along a dusty road in a far-off land.  The essence of this man cannot help but survive and go on.  Look upward on a clear night and you will see him dancing on the stars.  Indescribable melodies flood his soul and burst forth from him without instruments or hands to play them.  

Larry lives.  With an ancient writer named Saul of Tarsus who wrote in mockery to his friends we say: "Oh Death, where is thy victory; where is thy sting!"

I wish all of you well: Larry's mother and brother and niece; and I say to all of you, as well as the members of my family, and to Chris, and to all of Larry"s friends: with love, let go!...and with peace, rejoice!

James Keller - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
jflk@execpc.com  /  jflks69@hotmail.com