Person Page 4,596

Obituary -- (Findagrave.com):

He was born in Rogers, AR to Forrest E. Larimore and Goldie Gipple Larimore. He has been a longtime member of the Central United Methodist Church of Rogers. Larry graduated from Rogers High School, Class of 1935, and attended Kemper Military School and transferred to the University of Arkansas on a football scholarship. He was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity and graduated from the UA in 1940 with a B.S. degree in education. It was there he met and married Elizabeth Griffith of Memphis.

Larry was an avid aviator and worked for Ray Ellis at Drake Field as a civilian pilot trainer prior to our country's involvement in World War II. He joined the Civilian Ferry Command, transporting airplanes around the country. In 1941, he was commissioned an officer in the Army Air Corps, (later to become the U.S. Air Force) and served flying the "Hump" over the Himalayan Mountains, between Burma and China.

Obituary -- (Findagrave.com):

Nita Larimore, a longtime resident of Rogers, expired March 3, 2008, at St. Mary's Hospital in Rogers. Nita's life began in Bells, Tenn., on May 14, 19 the daughter of Aubrey and Cylistia Waldron and quickly became known as "Nita". Her youth was mostly spent growning up in Alamo, Tenn., where she attended school graduating from Alamo High School. After graduation, she moved to Memphis, Tenn., and became an interior designer and worked for Holiday Inns of America until she met and married a native of Rogers, F.G. "Larry" Larimore. Nita quickly adopted her new home and immersed herself in all aspects of the Rogers community activities. Family, church and her new hometown of Rogers became her unwavering passions. With her husband, Larry, she became active in the Garner Larimore Construction Co. and Firestone Inc. Nita envisioned and created Shelby Lane Mall Antique and Fine Arts/Thomas Kinkade Gallery locating the business in the original Wal-Mart retail location at 719 W. Walnut St. in Rogers. She closed Shelby Lane Mall in 2004 and moved the Thomas Kinkade gallery to downtown Rogers. She was a very active supporter of Downtown Rogers and a member of the City Advertising and Promotion Commission.

Besides her retail activities, Nita was instrumental in the development of the Junior Auxiliary of Northwest Arkansas. She became a very energetic and active member and officer of the Chapter U of the PEO. Much energy and attention was also devoted to her church, Central United Methodist Church in Rogers where she served as a co-teacher of the New Life Sunday School class for many years. She also served as the leader of the church council as a lay representative to the Arkansas Annual Conference of the Methodist Church. She was also an active Rotarian.

In recognition of her many contributions to Rogers and Northwest Arkansas, Nita was honored with the 2005 Louise Thaden Women of the Year Award at the seventh annual Northwest Arkansas Business Women's Conference. along with her husband Larry, Nita was named as one of the 100 most influential people in the history of Rogers. Since she was not a native of Rogers, this particular award was one she cherished very much.

Nita is survived by a large family including two sons, Jim G. Brown of Rogers, Robert S. Brown of Florida; one daughter, Lynn Stanberry and husband Darrell of Bentonville; one brother, Dr. Jim F. Waldron and wife Jo of Houston, Texas; six grandchildren, Robert Brown, Tyler Brown, Shelby Brown, Jay Stanberry, Steven Stanberry and Staci Stanberry; four nephews, Mike, Jim D., Steve and Jerry Waldron and brother and sister-in-law, Weldon and Glenee Larimore of Urbana, Ill., and their children, Rachel, Mike, Ken and Tanya Larimore.

Nita was preceded in death by her parents, Aubrey and Cylistia Waldron, Husband F.G. "Larry" Larimore and sister-in-law, Doris Larimore.

A visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 6 at Central United Methodist Church in Rogers.

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, March 7 at Central United Methodist Chruch in Rogers with the Rev. Biff Averitt and the Rev. Jaimie Alexander officiating. A private family committal service will take place at Benton County Memorial Park.

Pallbearers will be Tyler Brown, Jay Stanberry, Jim D. Waldron, Steve Waldron, Larry Gartman, Kent Rylee and Robert Brown. Honorary pallbearers will be Bob Cowan, Chuck Hinson, John Clower, Dick Barclay, Carl Baggett, Harly Moser Jr., Russell Riggs, Doug Schrantz and Dick Trammel.

Memorials may be made in honor of Nita Larimore to Central United Methodist Church, 2535 W. New Hope Road, Rogers, 72756 or PEO Scholarship Fund, in care of Susan Jason, Treasurer, 14470 Zimmerman Street, Rogers, AR 72756.

Arrangements are by Stockdale Funeral Services, Rogers.

Rogers Morning News

Wednesday, March 5, 2008.

Obituary -- (Findagrave.com):

Richard Weldon (Larry) Larimore, 91, of Urbana, Illinois, died Tuesday (Jan. 13, 2015) at the Champaign County Nursing Home, Urbana.

He was born in Rogers, Arkansas on Feb. 10, 1923. Larry earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville where he met Glenn E. 'Ghee' Livingston, who became his bride on April 5, 1947 in Little Rock, Arkansas.

At the encouragement of entomologist Milt Sanderson, who had just recently moved from the University of Arkansas to the University of Illinois, the couple moved to Urbana where Larry earned his master's degree from the UI. The couple left Urbana briefly while Larry earned his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Michigan.

Larry began his career in 1946 at the Illinois Natural History Survey as a stream ecologist. He officially retired from this role in 1988, but could still be found working in his office after the turn of the century. As he told The News-Gazette in 1999 regarding data from 1952-1986, 'It's a shame to retire and die and let good stuff sit here.'

Larry and Ghee raised three sons, Rick, Ken and Mike, who all accompanied their father on many field research adventures and share their father's passion for the outdoors.

In 1963, Larry was asked by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization to study inland fisheries in Thailand. So, the entire family moved to Bangkok for a year.

Larry's work would later take him to Indonesia, Yugoslavia as a Fulbright lecturer, Hungary and Puerto Rico.

While his work with fisheries took him all over the world, he loved the fisheries work he conducted in East Central Illinois. He was particularly interested in stream biology and the behavior of smallmouth bass.

Larry was an early researcher in the development of electrofishing techniques and put those to use in his extensive work on the Jordan Creek, a stream that feeds into the Salt Fork of the Vermilion River.

In addition to his extensive work on Jordan Creek and other Illinois streams, a significant project focused on the survey of fishes of Champaign County, which Larry conducted first with Phillip Smith in 1963, and later with Peter Bayley in 1996. This survey was part of a longitudinal look at the fish populations in Champaign County.

This work was initiated in 1908 by Stephen A. Forbes, the Illinois Natural History Survey's first chief, and Robert Richardson. David Thompson and Richard Hunt narrowed the focus of that work to Champaign County in 1930.

Larry and fellow researcher Phillip Smith published the third edition of the survey in 1963. Nearly 30 years later, Larry and his colleague and friend, Peter Bayley, published a fourth edition of the survey. Another survey is now in the works at the Illinois Natural History Survey.

While he and his wife loved to travel, their most treasured place was property on the Salt Fork River in Vermilion County where the family built an Arkansas-style cabin, which appropriately came to be known as 'The Cabin.' Over the years Larry conducted many studies on this property related to fisheries and encouraged graduate students to do the same.

Anyone who ever met any of the Larimore family knew that the Cabin was much more than a secluded getaway in the woods. It served as a social hub where family, friends and colleagues from all over the world would often gather. Just as with their home in Urbana, everyone was welcome at the cabin. Larry and Ghee loved sharing their haven on the lake with friends just as much as they enjoyed the low-key mornings listening to birds calling.

Larry was a charter member of numerous organizations, including the Midwest Benthological Society in 1953 (later the North American Benthological Society, 1975-2011, and now the Society for Freshwater Science), Research Biologists, and the Illinois Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. He was also a member of the Izaak Walton League.

He believed in investing in the future of his profession, particularly in supporting young researchers. He mentored many graduate students and young professionals who have gone on to be amazing researchers themselves.

In 2002, Larry's friends and family established the R. Weldon Larimore/Jordan Creek Endowment Fund to provide scholarship support to an aspiring undergrad or graduate student scientist at the UI or beginning research professional at the Illinois Natural History Survey to conduct research focusing on Jordan Creek and/or other Midwestern warmwater streams. This love for supporting young people was also evident through his involvement with the Boy Scouts of America where he was a Scout Leader through all three of his sons' scouting years. As a young man himself he earned the Boy Scout's highest honor, the Eagle Scout Award.

Larry was never boastful of his successes, but was honored with many awards over the years including recognition from the American Fisheries Society and Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

While Larry had many professional accomplishments, he loved to meet new people and make new friends. He was very proud of his family and the contributions they have made to the world.

His parents; brother, Forrest Gipple (F.G.) Larimore and sister, Doris Larimore preceded Larry in death.

He is survived by his wife; sons, Richard Livingston Larimore (Cloydia), Kenneth Gregory Larimore (Tanja) and Michael Scott Larimore; three grandchildren; a niece and a great-nephew.

IlliniHQ (Champaign, IL) - Sunday, January 18, 2015.

Obituary -- (Findagrave.com):

Glenn Eri "Ghee" Livingston Larimore, 90, of Urbana, Illinois, died on Wednesday (June 17, 2015) at Meadowbrook Healthcare Center.

Ghee was born on Sept. 20, 1924, the youngest daughter of William Eri and Mary Evelyn Glenn Livingston of Little Rock, Arkansas. On a blind date, Ghee met the love of her life, Richard Weldon "Larry" Larimore. Ghee and Larry were married on April 5, 1947, in Little Rock. They began their married life in Urbana where Larry worked for the Illinois Natural History Survey. Except for a brief time in Ann Arbor, Michigan, while Larry completed his Ph.D. Ghee and Larry lived, worked and raised their family in Urbana. Larry preceded Ghee in death on Jan. 13, 2015.

Her parents and her two sisters, Maureen Baldwin and Margaret Dugan, preceded her in death.

Ghee was a graduate of the University of Arkansas and a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. In her early years of marriage, Ghee worked as a church secretary and a nursery school teacher.

She was a member of the Monday Prayer Group, the Ding Dongs, and a charter member of P.E.O. She enjoyed family, singing, the cabin, swimming, tai chi and bird watching. Ghee loved reading as well as spending time organizing the family genealogy.

Ghee is survived by her sons, Rick (Cloydia), Ken (Tanja) and Mike (Susan) and three grandchildren.

Published in the Champaign, Illinois News-Gazette. June 19, 2015.