Larry James Medors

Bonner County resident Larry James Medors died after a short battle with leukemia on December 20th at Kootenai Medical Center, surrounded by his wife and daughters. He was 70 years old. Larry was born in Huntington, West Virginia, and raised across the river in Proctorville, Ohio. He was an alumnus of Marshall University and later received a graduate degree in Engineering Management from Santa Clara University. Larry married his sweetheart Bobbi Watson in 1967. They lived near Dayton, Ohio, where Larry worked at Wright Patterson Air Force Base on the F-15 design team. Larry’s career as an electronic systems engineer in the defense industry took him from Ohio to California, Texas, and New Hampshire. Larry was a talented design engineer and he enjoyed the teamwork and technical challenges of his profession. Three daughters were born in the 1970’s to Larry and Bobbi while they resided in Ohio: Lara, Kelly, and Stephanie. Shortly after moving to California in 1981, Bobbi died and it left a quiet sadness in his life for many years. He did a good job of being “Mr. Mom” after Bobbi died. He loved to roughhouse with his girls and any other kids who might be visiting. In 1983, Larry married Peggy Hermann in Sunnyvale, California, and added stepdaughter Courtney to the family. He enjoyed his years living and working in San Antonio, where he and Peggy would have retired had it not been for a “Long Bridge Moment” in 1993 that eventually led them to final retirement in the Sandpoint area in 2004. A lifelong Christian, Larry lived out his faith by being actively involved in his church wherever he lived. In recent years, he worked enthusiastically with local outreach and global missions. Larry led the Operation Christmas Child shoebox program at First Baptist Church for several years. Larry’s pastimes included reading, drinking Starbucks coffee, fishing, and scuba diving. His last dive, at the age of 69, was off the coast of Maui in February 2014. The light of his life was grandson Ethan with whom he spent many hours boating, designing Pinewood Derby cars, and riding bikes. Survivors include his wife Peggy; daughters Lara Medors, Kelly (Ron) Clement, Stephanie (Steven) Armstrong, and Courtney Routh; grandson Ethan Armstrong; brother Carl (Hannah) Medors; and many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins. A memorial service and celebration of life will be held on Saturday, January 10, at 11 AM at First Baptist Church, 1230 Michigan St. , Sandpoint. The family suggests memorials in Larry’s name can be made to Bonner Gospel Mission (PO Box 263, Ponderay, ID 83852), or Life Choices Pregnancy Center (PO Box 2360, Sandpoint, ID 83864).