Larry Darling

Larry Darling died of natural causes at his home on Jan. 24, 2015 at the age of 71.

He was born to Victor and Altabell Darling on Feb. 22, 1943. He took pride in being a Montana native.

Larry served in the Navy for four years on a submarine after graduating from Columbia Falls High School in 1961.

While on leave in 1963, Larry met Leslie, the love of his life. They married in 1964. Last summer, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary April of 2014.

Larry returned home to Columbia Falls with his wife and newborn son Kenny, where they had three more children, Stefanie, Kyle and Kevin. He took great pride in raising his children with his wife.

Larry was closely integrated in the activities that his children took part in, including baseball, which he coached for 15 years. He chose to emphasize two key principles to promote success on and off the field — 100 percent work ethic and most of all sportsmanship.

Larry was a logger for the primary portion of his working career. He worked for Canyon Logging for a considerable amount of time and eventually ran his own logging business. He loved the woods and spent much of his free time hunting and enjoying the multitude of outdoor activities Montana has to offer.

He was preceded in death by his daughter Stefanie, granddaughter Morgaine and both parents.

Larry is survived by his wife Leslie; three sons, Kenny and wife Tanna, Kyle and wife Melinda, and Kevin and fiancee Tessa; brother Rich, Uncle Ott and Pete; father-in-law Ralph Ammondson; grandchildren Katy, Danielle, Zach, Amy, Steven, Bradley and Natasha; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

A celebration of life was held Jan. 31, 2015.

The Darling family is tremendously appreciative of the support and love received from many individuals in the community who knew Larry. “Thank you for condolences and generosity.”