If you’ve worked with Portable Church Industries within the past five years, chances are you had the chance to work with Larry Jones, one of our beloved Tech Specialists.
Yesterday, with great sadness, we learned that Larry passed away very suddenly. It has been a shock to us both personally and spiritually.
Larry was a kind, gentle soul who would give a stranger or friend anything they needed - money, the shirt off his back, a place to stay... and sometimes all three! We liked to call him our Lar-Bear. Last week, as we celebrated his birthday, he insisted on buying lunch for us - the whole company - instead of letting us treat him. He was the guy in the office with the funniest emails, the funniest quirks and best taste in music (he once told us a story of watching Stevie Wonder play a personal show, and I swear, we felt like we were there).
Our Larry was more than genuine warmth and kindness - he was smart, too. He had a photographic memory and could remember anything he’d ever read on our paperwork (trust me, it was hard to make a mistake with him around!). He seemed to know everything about everything - cars, guitars, sound, lighting, video.
He was resourceful and gifted - when he delivered Tech Solutions for churches, pastors would often rave over his prowess as a sound engineer. He was an extremely talented musician, and would often shock us into silent admiration as he played his guitar.
He was passionate about our line of work - he loved being a part of equipping churches and teaching them how to produce with excellence. He once told me that, before finding Christ, he was sad all of the time. When he was introduced to Christ, he felt like He had met his best friend. He shared with me that the love of Christ had quite literally saved his life. He took great joy in being a part of a company that worked to equip pastors - so that those pastors could tell others of Christ and of the Love that he, himself, had found.
Our sadness is great today. It’s hard to understand why he was taken from us so soon or so suddenly. Our pain is lessened only by the knowledge that he’s dancing (or at least head bobbing) with Jesus now. I'd be willing to bet that he’s jamming with David, too.
He was our brother. He was our family, and we will miss him. If, like me, you have memories of Larry that you’d like to share, post them in our comments section. I’ll organize them as a gift for his family. If you’d like to send condolences or memorials to his family, please see the funeral information post below.
Lar-Bear, you were one of a kind. We will never forget you. You left a mark on our community, and it was an honor to serve with you.
He was passionate about our line of work - he loved being a part of equipping churches and teaching them how to produce with excellence. He once told me that, before finding Christ, he was sad all of the time. When he was introduced to Christ, he felt like He had met his best friend. He shared with me that the love of Christ had quite literally saved his life. He took great joy in being a part of a company that worked to equip pastors - so that those pastors could tell others of Christ and of the Love that he, himself, had found.
Our sadness is great today. It’s hard to understand why he was taken from us so soon or so suddenly. Our pain is lessened only by the knowledge that he’s dancing (or at least head bobbing) with Jesus now. I'd be willing to bet that he’s jamming with David, too.
He was our brother. He was our family, and we will miss him. If, like me, you have memories of Larry that you’d like to share, post them in our comments section. I’ll organize them as a gift for his family. If you’d like to send condolences or memorials to his family, please see the funeral information post below.
Lar-Bear, you were one of a kind. We will never forget you. You left a mark on our community, and it was an honor to serve with you.
21 comments:
Our heartfelt prayers are with Larry's family and colleagues at Portable Church.
Your friends at Celebration Church
Larry literally walked into my life on 8/29/2006. I was very busy. I didn't need the complication. My look said, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm Larry Jones. I'm friends with your boss. And he hired me to help you out," He answered.
"Great. Try to make yourself usefull," I said, probably out loud, because whatever he said next was the understatement of the year..."Yeah, OK"
When I start to think of all the ways that Larry has made himself useful, I just begin to taste the enormity of the loss...
useful to me...
useful to PCI...
useful to churches...
How many times has he fixed my car? ...even the bass and treble settings on my car radio!
How many times have we done deliveries together? ...we just spent 12 hours in the car two weekends ago!
How many times has he made me laugh? ...you know how you tell some of your friends stop sending you stupid emails? I told Larry that if he thought it was funny, to please, please send it to me....His were always the best!
How many times have I asked him to take care of a probem? ...make this church happy. ...make this thing work. Just last week he showed me how to fix my cell phone!
I used to call him Lar-Bear because he has such a soft heart. He would always set me straight and say it was Lar-Griz. I think he wanted me to know that he also had teeth. An so I would correct myself even though I knew that he didn't really have a bite...a bit of a growl sometimes...but never a bite.
God, I'm going to miss him. ...so many inside jokes. ...so much fun. ...so much love.
I missed him on Monday when he called in sick.
I missed him even more on Tuesday when he didn't call at all.
When I went to check on him and found him at home, I didn't feel anything, because he wasn't really there anymore.
Now it's Wednesday and there is just a big hole in my heart, in my workplace, in my world.
Larry is one of the most godly and least churchy persons that I have ever known. Man, I loved that about him. He told some of us what God had done for him. I was always amazed at how tireless he could be when helping a church that was going to be reaching out to people who were where he had been.
I don't know how to close. I'm not ready to say good-bye. It's going to be hard to be patient until I see him again.
Larry you will be missed in CCI. We love you and thank you for all your patience, serverthood and love that you showed us. See you in heaven!
Friends at PCI,
Larry will be missed.
I will remember that wintry December of 2008 with great fondness and Larry jumping in to help us solve our issues. He was technically sound and his "get it done" attitude was great as a client.
I just spent some time praying for you guys. I'm sorry for this loss. My heart goes out to you guys as you attempt to move on from here.
If there is anything I can do to help - please don't hesitate to ask.
Rich Birch
This just sums it up: Homesick by MercyMe
You're in a better place, I've heard a thousand times
And at least a thousand times I've rejoiced for you
But the reason why I'm broken, the reason why I cry
Is how long must I wait to be with you
I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now
Help me Lord cause I don't understand your ways
The reason why I wonder if I'll ever know
But, even if you showed me, the hurt would be the same
Cause I'm still here so far away from home
I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now
In Christ, there are no goodbyes
And in Christ, there is no end
So I'll hold onto Jesus with all that I have
To see you again
To see you again
And I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now
(lyrics found at http://www.lyrics007.com/MercyMe%20Lyrics/Homesick%20Lyrics.html)
your friend & co-worker, Debi Martin
I'm from Highlands Community Church in Renton, WA. Larry was there for our all day training back in summer of 2010. He encouraged me that I could learn to do these jobs even though I was the oldest person on the team. He was right, and I served weekly for over a year until my family moved away. I will pray for comfort for his family and his friends at PCI.
Lar-Bear... my "upper hero"... my best friend... Words can not express how sad, empty and numb I feel.
We were texting each other on Monday like we did every day, he said he was feeling better "from the cold" but tired but he was being his sweet, goofy self like always... He said that if I texted him and he didn't answer not to worry, that it was probably that he had fallen asleep but that he would write back as soon as he woke up...
Larry, my bestie, I wasn't ready for this. Who is going to be my band mate in the psych ward? who is going to play air guitar with me? Who is going to tell me that an oatmeal "doesn't count as eating" or send me funny e-mails every morning or tell me about his workout or wish me good night? Who is going to talk with me about music, cars, chocolate, coffee and just life in general? I am not ready for this. You were one of the most amazing human beings I've ever met, you were never too tired to share with me, always there to help everyone sincerely, always with a sweet, motivating and caring word, a prayer or a joke to brighten my day. You were the "bestestest friend in the whole universe" and I know you are in a better place, but I feel so lost without you.
I keep checking my phone waiting to hear from you like you promised you would when you woke up and then I remember...
~ Gia
Lar-Bear. I called him that because he tried to convince people that he was this grumpy old guy that shouldn't be bothered. But he couldn't hide that huge heart from anyone. He really was a teddy bear that loved everyone and helped out at his inconvenience time and again. He never said no, and never wanted anything in return.
He was like a brother to me and I will miss him dearly.
We are in shock. Our hearts are so sad.
It's so true, he knew everything about everything. Almost weekly I'd ask Daniel a question and he'd say, "Not sure. I'll ask Larry". I'd even see those funny emails when Daniel would fwd them to me because they were that good!He always made a point to love on our girls, let them wear his silly hat and be encouraging and supportive to us. He was a good friend to Daniel. I think he probably traveled with Daniel more than I have! And now he's gone...We can't believe it. Not sure I'm ready to visit and see his empty desk.
We are thankful that we knew him. We are thankful for the Portable Church family and we are keeping all of you in our prayers. Thankful God is a God of comfort.
It didn’t take long to realize the kind of person Larry was. He was as genuine as they come, and a true friend. He was highly intelligent and always willing to make a difference. And Make a difference he certainly did. I once asked the question to my shop manager “How did we ever manage around here before Lar-Bear worked here?” Because you see he just made things better! He truly cared and it was clearly evident in his work. He brought a lot of laughter with him wherever he went.I thank God for crossing our paths. I know that my life is better because of it. My wife and I are praying for you his family; That God will comfort you, and give you the grace to endure. May you rely on and draw closer to the God that Larry loved and served so faithfully.
Larry my friend you are already missed.
Unfortunately, I took for granted the time that I was lucky enough to work with Larry. I realized soon after I heard what an incredibly influential person he was to me.
I think the best thing about Larry was his unbelievable skill to bring a goofy, and fun-loving atmosphere to the room. He looked at things positively, and was so passionate about his job and helping resolve tech issues to further the kingdom. How awesome is that?
Larry you always reminded me to 'skate the park' even when workloads were sometimes unbearable, and I thank you for the incredibly vast amount of knowledge you shared with me throughout the years and I know it's helped shape who I am today.
We'll miss you Lar-Bear. You'll be remembered as a hilarious, caring rock-star with an incredible passion for people.
Larry Jones...
Kind
Thoughtful
Slow to anger
Generous to a fault
Hard-working
Brilliant
Master of Much
Loyal
He had a tender heart that sought after God.
Lar-Bear, you made my life easier at PCI when you arrived. I enjoyed every day we worked together. You are way too young to be leaving us! Thank you for all you brought to my life!
Susan
Larry Jones and the simple church….
In May of 2007 Larry came down to Bossier City, Louisiana to deliver the first equipment trailer to the simple church. This would be the only time that Larry and I would meet in person. While in Louisiana, he help us get our feet on the ground as we launched our new church, and helped me get a understanding of what a “portable church” was going to look like. Neither of us could foresee the friendship, both professional and personal, that would form in the next 4 years.
4 years, 2013 emails, over 1000 phone calls, and 6 trailers (well really 7 if you count the one that was hit by a tree) later…. I would say that Larry Jones is the most influential non-partner that the simple church has ever or will ever have. His hand was in every part of our church. From sound systems to kid’s ministry. (which we often joked about because baby equipment was not really his thing) Everything that we own came across his desk at some point.
For whatever reason Larry made a connection with the simple church while he was here. From that point on, he was the one I always called when we started a new project. I talked Larry almost every week. He was always so thrilled to hear about our growth and what crazy new project we would be starting next.
I talked with him so much that I knew by the tone of his voice if he was having a bad day or a good day. That is where our personal friendship came into play. It is so strange to know so much about one person 1000 miles away, but that is what made Larry so special, he was real and authentic. From afar Larry watched our church grow from 80 people to 3000 in 4 years. He cheered us on all the way.
There are not enough words to describe how much I will miss Larry. He is irreplaceable. Great man, great engineer, great heart.
Larry, I am sad that we only met in person once, but I am confident that we will meet again in heaven. Until that day my friend…..Party on Wayne….
Chip Mitchell
the simple church
I thought I just heard Larry’s car as he drove into the employee parking lot!
It ‘s not Larry…. Our mail carrier bringing the mail.
Larry and I often worked late together and many times he would say “ go out and start your car because I don’t want your husband to have to drive 45 minutes to come and get you”. Not sure if that was because he felt he had to wait or concerned. LOL Just kidding… Larry he told me even though our office is safe he felt responsible for making sure I was safely on my way, nothing was going down on his watch . Larry was a gentleman and I appreciated that about him.
Here at PCI we are able to be AUTHENTIC NOT FAKE, PRAY, LAUGH, CRY and CELEBRATE together so usually after hours we talked about my son , how proud he was of his family, how much he loved his NEPHEWS, LIFE , CARS, and he was forever helping me with my laptop and crazy tech questions. I will always cherish our talks I’m grateful that I was able to tell my Brother in Christ that I LOVED HIM while he was living!
I know, that I know, that I know, THAT LARRY IS WITH THE LORD!
LAR BEAR , DROP THAT BASS , GET FUNKY NOW
You're playing for the KING.
It has not even been 24 hours since I have learned that you are no longer a phone call or an email away and already it seems like such a vast amount of time and emptiness in the knowing you are gone. The amount of posts here and on your facebook wall are a testament to the wonderful, kind, fun loving and compassionate man and friend you were and your memory is to so many. I met you when I was 17 years old and went to watch your band practice in someones basement in Rochester Hills, Michigan. I was a rebel in high heels and a short miniskirt and you were my instantaneous friend. We spent hours on the phone talking and sharing stories in that soft and calming voice I now miss so much. Singing at the Livewire studio and laughing at my breathy Stevie Nicks wanna be voice that u said had such potential! Oh Larry I could see right thru you! Drawing pictures for your band Strayt Jakket back in what now seems a hundred years ago and that old Camaro you would drive. It is always hard when someone is lost too soon with no warning and totally unexpectedly. I keep thinking as I am sure many of us are, " but I just talked to him?" " I just IM'd or texted him?" This can not be real because it seems so surreal and yet it is. One of the last posts Larry made to me read, " Hang on Kiddo! Life is on the Upswing!" and that was only two weeks ago and makes it all the harder to understand and accept. My heart is full of tears and unspoken words that Larry will never hear me say in a physical sense. Words like THANK YOU SO MUCH for being my friend who was always there with a shoulder, a listening ear and never a word of judgment. Thank you for the letters you sent me at Central Michigan University back in 1988 with all the little bear paw prints because I affectionately called you LAR BEAR! ( and I see that moniker stuck) :) Thank you for wiping my tears after all the break ups and lost loves you saw me through. And most recently for finding me all the way out in Montana thru the world of facebook and reconnecting with me and catching up and bolstering my courage after my own struggles this year. Larry thank you for being you and though you can not hear me say these things in the way I wish you still could I will say them anyway knowing your family and friends and maybe you will know they were always meant to be said.. I will miss you deeply and remember you fondly for the rest of my days. I love you! Stacy Carter
Larry,
I sat down to write this to you, about you, at you but words seem to fail me and my fingers just won't type anything that makes sense........I walk by your desk and part of me expects to see you sitting there, working on a design while enjoying a pop tart. But you're not there......you're computer is off and you're chair is empty and pushed in. I couldn't possibly count the number of times I sat at your desk with you while you answered my tech questions even though I'd asked you them same question ten times before. You spoke with my clients when they asked tech questions that were so far beyond me that they might as well have been speaking Martian but you understood every word. I have come to rely on you so much over the past 3 years. I miss your never ending supply of riveting stories, your fondness for French Press coffee, your infectious laugh, your desire to help whenever you could and so many other things that made you uniquely Larry. I wish you were here to read your Facebook see the blog posts so that you would know how important you have been to so many people. I know that this is all in God's perfect timing and maybe someday I'll understand it but right now it's really hard to wrap my mind around. You are an awesome man, and it has been my privilege to know you.
I know I don't have to say goodbye so I'll just say see you later Griz, ok.
My wife and I. Delivered a lot of churches for portable church industries and it was the first thing we looked at to see if larr bar was going to be there . He is truly an amazing person and am honored to have known him. Heaven will never be the same with larr bar in the house. God speed larry we all will see you in another life.
Larry "UG" Jones I never realized the effect you had on my life. I miss you so much.
I have started typing this quite a few times but have been unable to adequately express how great of an honor it has been to be a part of your life, or try to summarize the impact you have had on our lives. I know you wouldn't want us mourning you, but you are family, you are loved and your passing is felt to our core.
I have been home with my new baby this past week and it has been a crazy emotional week vacillating between celebrating the tiny new life of my baby and mourning the loss of a huge personality and friend. Life comes and goes, but I couldn't help but notice it took 2 new PCI babies to replace you Lar-Bear!! =)
The day before my "baby-vacay" Larry and I had one of the weekly meetings we had just started doing. The meeting ended with both of us crying as we talked about who he has become, the changes he was experiencing in his life and his feeling that he was beginning another new journey within himself. Well Lar... you were right. The new journey isn't anything like we were thinking it was going to be, and I am already missing all that you were, but you are on the ultimate journey in the place that can get no grander!
Larry, you have offered so much wisdom, encouragement, and humor to this world. You are one of a kind and are irreplaceable. Things will never be the same without you. The office will be quite different, but we know how much you loved helping church plants and we promise to keep "rocking on" in honor of you! Thank you again for all that you were and for the honor of being a part of your life! See you soon Griz!
This news was so shocking to me and my heart has been burdened with it and for the whole portable church family for days.
I have emails from Larry going back many years addressing issues from lighting to baby doll outfits to trailer maps to light bulbs. One of my favortie exchanges with Larry was when I accidentally emailed Larry saying we hired him to be our Parry Sound Lead Pastor... when we were actually hiring a different 'Larry Jones' to be our lead pastor... and it was very confidential information because we hadn't told anybody in our church community about it. Larry's response was so funny!
When I heard this sudden news I was struck by how much Larry has had a behind-the-scenes impact on our church family in ways that most people around here will never know. I am so thankful for his life, ministry, and the blessing he has been to our whole church community as we partnered in launching and supporting sites.
Thank you, Larry, and thank you to the entire Portable Church family. You guys feel like extended family to me and I love you all.
Sandra Nicholas
The Meeting House
As usual, I have no clue if I am putting this comment on the right form or whatever you do. It's me, Lar's mom, and he was my technician also. Now I have Derek (my nephew), Ken (Melody's husband), and Jason, (my nephew), to instruct me when needed, which is pretty often.
Words seem inadeqate to express my appreciation to all of you for your love and support during this time of sorrow. He loved Portable Churches and all the employees and owners sooooo much. One thing in particular comes to mind when I think of his position there - wow, he's surrounded by all these Christians. Pete has been a driving force in his life for a long time, along with Brian, Kevin, and all the people there, too numerous to mention. What an awesome environment to spend your day in and the spirit-filled staff.
These past few days are a mixture of sorrow and grief, amazement at the response and turnout for his home-going service, and a proud feeling when I hear all the wonderful comments and praises about the best son any mother could ever ask for. He was more than my son, he was my rock for his whole life - I could always count on him to comfort me and nurture me when I was sick or sad - rejoice with me when I was happy, and pamper me beyond all expectations. He was a gentle soul who didn't have a mean bone in his body - I know he wasn't perfect, but close.
Please keep in touch with me so I can feel the warmth of Portable Churches. Love to everyone: email - bondgourmet@sbcglobal.net or (248-673-6984.
Thank you so much Kendra for this wonderful blog. God Bless
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