Obituary of Lawrence Wayne Rogers

Peacefully and surrounded by love, on Friday January 6th 2023, Lawrence Wayne Rogers passed away in his 80th year. Larry will be lovingly remembered as a husband and best friend to Marion for the last 50 + years. They enjoyed their drives to check out various spots around the London and surrounding area, making sure to grab a coffee and a muffin along the way. Afternoons in Stratford or Grand Bend at the theatre, visiting the little shops and towns along their beloved Lake Huron, or showing up and supporting one of their grandchildren in their many activities. Always together, always a team. He was proud father of Andrew (Diane) and Sarah (Rob), and was happy watching them become caring adults, starting families of their own. Above all, his favourite role was adoring grandfather to Hannah, Ava, Maya, Hudson, Emmett, Atticus and Winston whose endless energy kept him on his toes and sighing under his breath! He is also survived by his sister Carolyne Rogers (Claudio) of London. Apart from being devoted to his family and his profession, Larry was a passionate volunteer, who spent many hours giving his time to make a difference the lives of others. Whether he was providing dental care throughout Ontario to those who otherwise couldn’t afford it, or cheerfully ringing the bell for the Salvation Army at Christmastime. But it was Special Olympics that remained the organization closest to his kind heart…thanks to his dear friends and in-laws Bill and Ruth Ann Mills. Larry volunteered with Special Olympics on a local and International level.. taking him from a floor hockey referee in 1980’s all the way to volunteering as a dentist at the World Winter games (Toronto 1997 & Idaho in 2001) as a part of the Smiles program, conducting dental screening for athletes from all over the world. He ultimately found his role as a member of the fundraising committee for over 30 years. Larry received his 40 year recognition in 2021. Not only did he create lasting memories with many athletes, volunteers, and friendships that spanned more than 40 years. The driving force behind his volunteering was that he knew it made a difference in so many lives, and that spoke to who Larry was, a helper. Larry was a quiet soul, a thinker, who always was observing and taking in the world around him in his unique way. But don’t be mistaken , he had a cheeky sense of humour, and making him belly laugh always felt like a great achievement. Whether he was making silly faces, rolling his eyes or poking out his tongue, he always managed to have perfect timing right until the end! He loved his academics (a proud Western grad), reading endlessly and Larry never lost the desire to learn something new, devouring any newspaper or magazine articles he could get ahold of. And then he discovered word puzzles..the daily routine he had with Marion, taking turns reading, filing in the blanks and correcting one another’s answers. Our sincerest thank you to the 9th Geriatric Medicine team at University Hospital, your tireless, dedicated work caring for Larry never went unnoticed, and was appreciated beyond measure. And to Jenn, Tiffany, Rob and Dr Harris-Schultz’s entire Palliative Care unit your support, kindness and compassion shown towards all of us during his final days, there are no words to truly express our gratitude to you all. Although he has passed his caring nature, curiosity about the world, kindness to others and devotion to family will be carried on by those who knew and loved him. “The quality of your life will be determined by the quality of your contribution. When you work to improve the lives of others, your life improves automatically.” – Kurek Ashley Donations in Larry’s memory can be made to Special Olympics London https://soocommunity.crowdchange.ca/27793. Online condolences may be shared with the family on Larry's Tribute Wall at www.mpcemetery.ca.