Larry Carl Amsler

Larry Carl Amsler

Larry C. Amsler was born May 26, 1939 in Springfield, MO and passed away at age 83 from Parkinson’s disease.  He was an only child to Etta Mae Garbee and Carl Eugene Amsler.  Larry grew up in Springfield, MO surrounded by many aunts, uncles and cousins and then attended University of Missouri-Rolla, graduating in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.  He then continued his studies at University of Missouri-Rolla to earn his Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1963.  He met Patricia Ann Wilson in a Sunday school class at church and they married on May 4, 1963 at First Baptist Church in Ferguson, Missouri.  Larry and Ann moved to Colorado where Larry began his career in Aerospace Engineering at Martin Marietta.  In 1966, their son Gary was born and in 1967 they headed back to Missouri where Larry worked at McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis.  In 1969, their daughter Karen was born and shortly after they moved back to Colorado where Larry worked again for Martin Marietta/Lockheed Martin until he retired in 2000.  Larry worked on the Titan Team as Manager of Flight Control Systems Analysis and Software development in the Space Launch Systems Division where he was involved in all of the key Titan launches that occurred during his career.  

Larry was loyal, honest, quiet, calm, smart, funny, and always wanted to “do the right thing.”   He loved food, science, space related topics and wiring things together.  Larry also loved cats, nature, the outdoors and enjoyed many hiking/backpacking trips with his buddies from Lockheed Martin.  He loved race walking and won numerous medals at the 5Ks he participated in over the years.  Larry and Ann were actively involved in the Mountaineers Square Dance Club together where they attended numerous dances, traveled with the club, and Larry also served in several leadership positions including President, Vice-President, and Sr. Treasurer.  Larry was a Deacon at University Hills Baptist Church in Denver where he and Ann attended church for many years.  He also took it upon himself to make sure the church was in good working order.  He always had a long “to do” list in his front pocket and he had a little hidden room at the church with numerous handyman tools that he used to fix anything and everything that was broken in the church.  His family often called him “Mr. Fix It” based on all the things he was able to fix and make like new again. A few months ago, he was even trying to repair a broken community washing machine at the assisted living facility where he lived.  Larry was a master wood worker, restoring and making many items for his home and for his kids and grandkids including chairs, desks, tables, cribbage boards, a chess board, headboards, bookshelves, etc.  He had a large workshop in his basement and was known for his extensive collection of  tools, welding equipment, and an assortment of nails, screw, bolts, nuts and other miscellaneous hardware organized meticulously into hundreds of individually labeled baby food jars and stored on his handmade shelves.  His organizational skills were amazing; he had a file and a chart/spreadsheet for everything.  Larry was tough and determined and fought Parkinson’s until the end.  He will be missed.  

Larry is survived by his wife, Ann; his children, Gary and Karen; his daughter-in-law, Susan; his son-in-law, Kevin; his grandchildren, Naomi and Sophie; Caleb, Cameron, and Carly; and numerous cousins.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Parkinson Association of the Rockies (www.parkinsonrockies.org) in Larry’s name and memory.

Funeral service will be held on Monday, November 28, 2022 at 11:00 AM at Drinkwine Family Chapel with a reception to follow at Drinkwine Reception Hall. 

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