Obituary of Larry D Beebe

Larry Dean Beebe, 72, of Nokomis, FL, passed away on June 19, 2022, after battling illness for many years. His wife of 42 years was by his side.

Larry was born Feb. 2, 1950, in Adrian, MI, and lived for more than 30 years in Adrian, Blissfield, and Onsted. He graduated from Madison High School in 1968 and worked in the tool and die industry in Madison Township and Clinton until he moved to Florida in 1981 to work in construction. After 17 years as an employee, he purchased Boden Masonry in 1996 and operated it until his retirement in 2017.

In 1980, Larry married Deborah Reed in Adrian. Following their retirement, they divided their time between their home in Nokomis and their cottage at Devil’s Lake, Manitou Beach, MI. Larry described their new lifestyle as getting the best of both worlds: a warm climate year-around.

Throughout his childhood and teens, Larry devoted time to his father’s farm and was a member of the Palmyra Future Leaders 4-H Club. For as many years as he was a 4-H member, his hogs won grand champion honors at the Lenawee County Fair, and he also successfully participated in similar competitions at the state level.

By far and away, Larry’s true passion throughout his life was cars. He collected them, raced them beginning with a go-cart at 9 years of age, and even showed them. At one point in his career, he owned an impressive collection of primarily 1963-1967 Corvettes, sometimes 20 or more. That number didn’t reflect the many race cars, semis, and race trailers he amassed. More recently, he added a 1970 Chevelle for attending local cruise-ins.

Larry belonged to the National Council of Corvette Clubs for 53 years and the Sports Car Club of America for 24 years. Whenever possible, he competed with his lucky number 67. He ran and most usually won hundreds of solo races throughout the United States and later participated in wheel-to-wheel competition in places such as Sebring and Daytona. As a member of NCCC, Larry served twice as the chairman of the organization’s national convention, 12 years at the Florida Region competition director, and nearly 30 years as governor of West Florida Corvette Association.

While Larry thoroughly enjoyed racing, he reveled in his role as car owner and driver coach. He owed a championship winning car in the SCCA GT-1 class and later in the SCCA Pro Trans-Am Series. He also found great satisfaction serving as coach for his wife’s racing efforts and owned/sponsored a car for her for many years.

Larry is survived by his wife; Chuck (Suzanne) Condon of Manitou Beach, his friend of 67 years; his sister Doris (Cliff) Clevenger of Adrian; one brother-in-law; two sisters-in-law; five nephews; three nieces; and many cousins. He was predeceased by his parents Wayne and Mildred (Dickerson), his sister Lois, his brother Dale, and a niece.

A service for Larry will be held later this summer in Michigan. Memorial contributions can be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children.