Larry’s Celebration of Life will be hosted by the City of Olathe on October 14th, 2022 from 1-5pm. The event will be held at the Ensor Park and Museum located at 18995 W 183rd St in Olathe, Kansas. This is open to anyone who would like to come share condolences and stories with his family and friends.

A private graveside service will be held on another date.

Larry LaWayne McSpadden was born into this world July 23rd, 1960, and the world has really never been the same since. Born to Lester “Floyd” Bronson and Betty Day in Concordia, Kansas, he was a wild child from the get-go. He moved to Spring Hill, Kansas at a young age where he and his house full of brothers and little sister, “JoJo”, left their mark on the town. In all aspects of the word. Everyone from Spring Hill around Larry’s age knew of him and his antics. His sense of adventure and sense of humor made him many friends, and likely a few enemies as well.

After high school, he worked at a grain elevator near the Kansas City stockyards before going on to be a welder for a gas company for several years. He, and his wife at the time, started a family and raised their three kids, Dutch, Hannah, and Dexter right there in their hometown. Larry raised them to be responsible and tough like him, but they all three inherited his spirited nature, much to his liking or dismay just depending on the day. His life raising his kids involved vacations in Florida, 4-H and FFA, animals, sports, lake weekends and boating, four wheelers and dirt bikes, repairing and rebuilding cars, and motorcycles. They led an active life which he was a big part of. Their house was often a popular place for his kids and their friends to spend time or host parties in his pasture, also to his liking or dismay just depending on the day.

If you asked most people to recall Larry in those days, they would probably describe the man often seen after work tinkering in the garage or spending time in his recliner clad in rebel flag boxers, a domesticated bird eating food out of his belly button, and a dog at his feet. He eventually retired the boxers and birds, but he always kept a Bull Terrier or Rottweiler by his side. He was also known for his Birkenstock sandals, cutoff shirts, and flannels. When the occasion called for it, he might have opted for his snakeskin boots and leather jacket, always sporting his signature mustache with any outfit choice.

Larry could come off quite intimidating upon first encounters, and for some people, many encounters after. He was more on the reserved side when you first met him, opting to ask a few questions and observe to size people up rather than overly friendly small talk. You didn’t always know right away if Larry liked you because his ice breakers tended to be zings or dry humor. Those zings accompanied by that ornery smirk were usually a term of endearment as relationships progressed.

That reserved nature was misleading as he was known to talk for hours to friends and colleagues about all kinds of things. Larry had many hobbies and collectors items over the years which he liked to share with people in his life. It was not uncommon to find an Ebay box laying around with one of his newest purchases related to those hobbies-whether it be a knife, which he collected for many years, or more recently, Irish walking sticks with rich histories, or African masks. Most anything that he found interesting and could bargain for a reasonable price was something he came home with. His eccentric collections extended to his gift giving. Always thoughtful, but in a “Larry” kind of way. 

Larry was "old school". He wasn't afraid to air his grievances about anything and tell it to you straight. Though Larry was a notoriously “value-oriented” person, he was a wealth of knowledge. He was someone who often engineered things by taking whatever materials were on hand or that he had collected over the years and just made things work. He was his own mechanic for cars, motorcycles, and boats alike. He was even his own logger, always up to the questionable challenge of tall trees and getting chainsaws up them, keeping plenty of wood on hand for kids to be sent to chop. He passed his skills and ingenuity on to his kids and to many others, including his coworkers. He took great pride in his job and was a loyal and dependable employee to the City of Olathe for the last 26 years. He was often on the job long after he clocked out for the day. Larry built quite an army of acquaintances and comrades over the years from his work and many hobbies.

Despite Larry’s tough exterior, he was a softie at heart. That side was especially brought out through his companion, Conni Nevius. They met in 2015 at Spring Hill’s Hideout bar during a gig by the RRED band. While they seemed opposites, they were inseparable from that moment forward. From a road trip to Monument Valley, to frequenting local music shows, to harvesting honey, to watching the sunset, great fun and good times were had.

Larry's kids were his pride and joy. Seeing them all graduate college from K-State was something he often bragged about to anyone he met. He was their rock through difficult times and showed up for them on as many occasions as he could. He very much looked forward to watching his kids continue to grow in their lives and careers and to someday seeing them have children of their own. Larry would have made a one-of-a-kind grandfather. He was close to retirement and looked forward to retiring so he could spend time with his family, travel, and, of course, smoke weed again like the good ol’ days. 

Larry was never a quitter. His strength and fight were notorious.  Whether that was exemplified through his work ethic, through his relationships with the people he loved, or through his numerous brushes with death, he never gave up. These brushes with death included a knife fight where he was stabbed in the abdomen trying to help a woman in distress, being hit by a truck while on his motorcycle leading to a 9 month stay healing at KU, and a dog bite that caused him to go septic and be on a ventilator for 19 days. He was seemingly invincible as he always surprised his doctors by “pulling a Larry” and persisting through, even when they were sure he would not. That theme continued as things took a turn for the worst recently after a routine procedure. Larry surpassed all of his doctors' expectations as he showed perseverance and strength through his last days. Ultimately, it turns out that none of us are invincible, not even Larry.

He departed his physical body on September 9th, 2022. After his loved ones sent him off with one last Crown and water, he passed peacefully with his children by his side. He leaves behind his children, Dutch, Hannah, and Dexter, his mother, Betty Jane McSpadden, his sister JoLynn Hobbs (Tally),  brothers Dave McSpadden and Miles McSpadden, along with several nieces and nephews. He leaves behind his beloved companion, Conni and dog Lugar. He also leaves behind life long friends Dave and Jennifer Haney, Michelle (Pryor) Joines, Brenda Wiggin and numerous friends and co-workers who were like family to him. 

Larry is preceded in death by father, Floyd Bronson, adoptive father, Joseph McSpadden, brothers Frank McSpadden and Don McSpadden, some of his favorite dogs, his Piranha, Victor, and Chris Wiggin- who we know he is looking forward to being literal and figurative partners in crime with again. 

Though he is no longer with us in the physical world, his spirit still resides with us. Everyone who knew Larry had a story about him. Those stories and memories he created during his short life will be with all of the people he touched and keep us laughing for years to come. We can all only hope to lead the kind of full and well-lived life that he did. He will be dearly missed by many.

The man, the myth, the legend: Larry McSpadden.