Lawrence Irving Stahr

Larry passed away Feb. 18th, 2026 at the age of 86. Larry was born in Altadena, CA on June 21, 1939, to parents Howard W. Stahr and Irene Duckworth Stahr, he was the youngest of 3 children.

The Stahr family moved to Honolulu, Hawaii when Larry was young. He enjoyed his teenage years in Honolulu, with many close friends that all lived in the Portlock Road neighborhood. Many of Larry’s interests revolved around the ocean, boats, fishing and water skiing, he was one of the early watermen. In 1957 Larry skied from Honolulu to Molokai on a Saturday morning without stopping and water skied back to Honolulu the next day, again without stopping, it was 31 miles each way. He helped to kick off Aloha Week and was greeted by Duke Kahanamuku at the celebration. This extraordinary achievement was prominently noted in the newspapers and has never been duplicated since. When Larry was 20, he sold his boat and in 1961 he enlisted in the Army to defend our country. He was first stationed in Germany until 1962. He graduated from Organizational Maintenance Wheel Vehicle Course with superior rating. He transferred in 1964 to Headquarters of Special Troops in Vietnam as a Sergeant. He earned the Purple Heart for wounds received in action in Vietnam June 8, 1966. He earned the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious achievement in ground operations against hostile forces in Vietnam (August 1965- July 1966) He advised and assisted the Vietnamese Army’s 7th Infantry Division of the Tien Giang Tactical Zone to defend the free world against Communist Aggression. Larry returned to Bay Area in 1967 and was a Senior Army Instructor in Oakland. He was Honorably discharged August 14, 1968 with:

- Good Conduct Medal

- National Defense Service Medal

- Vietnam Service Medal

- Vietnam Campaign Medal

- Combat Infantry Badge

Larry met Millie in San Francisco in 1976, where they lived until moving to Sonoma in 1986. They bought and renovated 3 homes together. That spent many weekends camping and skiing, once again returning to Larry’s love of boats and water. They traveled to Europe and the Caribbean. But his favorite thing to do was cook and spend time with his family and pets at home. He had a wicked sense of humor. Larry had an impressive workshop and he was extremely talented at building and fixing things.

Larry was proceeded in death by his parents and his older brother Howard Stahr. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Millie Stahr, His sister Darlene, 6 nieces and nephews that he was very close to, his 4 step children, 4 grandchildren, 2 great grandchildren, and the extended Merle/Breen families, all of whom will miss him very much. When the grandchildren were young, Larry spent many hours with them and was always there to pick them up from school and take care of them. They have many fond memories of those times and will be forever grateful for his care of them and the fun times they spent together.

Larry’s kind and gentle presence will be forever remembered.

Larry was a hero!

A private service will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Pets Lifeline.

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