Larry R. Fry

Larry R. Fry, 70, of Onaway, died at home, unexpectedly, Tuesday, November 15, 2022.  Born in Detroit January 1, 1952, Larry was the son of Russell and Rebecca (Blackburn) Fry. On April 23, 1976, he married his high school sweetheart, Jacqueline “Jackie” M. Prendergast, in Garden City and they made their home in Taylor.

With a long career in the floor covering industry, for 36 years, Larry owned Beck-Howell Carpet, Inc. of Taylor, where he and Jackie made a great team. Larry ran the store, did installations, and managed a team of floor covering installers while Jackie took care of bookkeeping and other paperwork. In 1995, Larry and Jackie left the city and moved to Onaway. Eventually, Larry took a position in the floor covering department at the Petoskey location of Home Depot where he worked for 11 more years. Larry was a member of St. Paul Catholic Church in Onaway and belonged to the Knights of Columbus.

Fun-loving, Larry was always ready to have a good time. He enjoyed boating, sailing, and fishing on Lake Erie when he lived in southern Michigan and Black Lake when he moved north.  A talented musician, he played the harmonica and accordion. And though he wasn’t a very good card player, he was always up for a game of euchre.  He loved watching car racing, including dirt-track racing, Onaway Speedway races, and NASCAR on television every Sunday afternoon.  One of Larry’s favorite places was on the back deck of his home where he enjoyed relaxing with Jackie and taking in the peacefulness of his backyard and woods. Above all, Larry loved his family and worked hard to give them everything he could.    

Larry’s ability to find the best in every situation, his jovial laughter, and all the good time

s spent together will be sadly missed by his wife of 46 years, Jackie Fry, of Onaway; daughters, Jennifer Fry of Onaway and Lynne Niestroy of Redford; son, James “Jef” Fry of Waldron; and six grandchildren, including Aidan Fry of Onaway. Larry also leaves his sister, Penelope “Penny” (Dennis) Weese of Westland; a brother, David (Cyndi) Fry of Adrian; and sisters-in-law, Judy (Mike) Ryan of Brighton and Mary Lou “Tweet” (Curt) Walker of Elmira.

Larry was preceded in death by his parents, Russell and Becky Fry; in-laws, Tom and Lu Prendergast; brother-in-law, Larry Prendergast; and nephew, Steve.

Services for Larry will be private with inurnment at St. Paul Cemetery in Onaway. Those planning an expression of sympathy please consider a donation in memory of Larry to St. Paul Catholic Church Religious Education Fund or to his family.   Cremation arrangements were in care of Chagnon Funeral Home.