The celebration of the life and times of Larry Chamblee is late being told on these pages. Larry passed away this past April and his celebration of life in May. He and his wife Kimberly Winick are residents of Huntley Drive in West Hollywood West.
Larry was an adventure seeker. He passed at 82 years old while riding his bike with a group near Palmdale. Larry was a pilot and his service included an honor by his fellow pilots of the Sylmar Hang Gliding Association with the Missing Man Formation flyover.
Chamblee and his wife Kimberly are active parts of the West Hollywood West Residents Association and have previously hosted the traditional non-partisan WHWRA Ice Cream Social. Larry lived a fascinating life, born in Beacon, New York before rising to the top of the United States Department of Justice. He was an active bike rider, hand glider and sailor. He attended the SUNY Albany, the top brass of NY State Universities and continued his studies at the University of Maryland Law before the draft lottery called his number.
His skill sets landed him at the Naval Construction Battalion where he did two tours of duty in Vietnam. He was fluent in French and later Vietnamese so he was deployed as Civil Affairs Petty Officer to charm the local populace. After his service he returned to the University of Maryland to complete his law degree and graduated at the top of his class. In 1973 Larry began his legal career as a Trial Attorney, Bureau of Enforcement for the Interstate Commerce Commission and went on to serve in the Criminal Division of the US Department. of Justice eventually rising to be a Senior Trial Attorney in the Office of International Affairs within the US Department of Justice.
In the summer of 1990 Larry and Kim received a gift for their donation to public radio. The gift was a free hand gliding lesson. Eventually he earned his Master Pilot license. Larry and Kim would fly close to the birds, through the mountains and over the lakes. “Flying gave Larry unparalleled joy, supplanting sailing for many years. When the wind wouldn’t cooperate, cycling was a close second. Along the way, traveling with Kim internationally, exploring at least one new place in the USA each year was part of the rich, engaged, generous life shared with Kimberly.”
May his memory be a blessing.
Last Laughs from Larry:
If a plant is sad, do the other plants photosympathsize with it?
What kind of doctor is Dr. Pepper? A fizzician
The Blackeyed Peas can sing us a song, but Chickpeas can only hummus one.
It is amazing how much ‘exercise’ and ‘extra fries’ sound alike.
I started a dating service for chickens. It’s not my day job but it helps hens meet.
RIP Larry Chamblee
Larry was my neighbor and dear friend for 20 years on Huntley Drive. Whether for an empathetic ear, a really bad pun (which I loved), a discussion on passive solar design or for tools and advice on home owner fix-it dilemmas, Larry was my go to. Many in the neighborhood would notice Larry’s older white SUV parked on the street. It had a roof rack with an unusual large long cylindrical container for his hang glider. I used to say it housed our neighborhood SCUD missile and made me feel safer. Larry loved that. Larry made the world a better… Read more »