Laurence K Quinn

Laurence “Larry” Quinn, 84 of Hope, passed away quietly in Sandpoint, Idaho on May 24, 2009. He was born on October 24, 1924 in New York City the only child of Laurence and Deliah Quinn. He was raised in Brooklyn, NY and attended Catholic schools there, even serving as an altar boy during his elementary school years. During World War II he served in the US Navy Seabees on the South Pacific islands of Saipan and Tinian. It was there where his unit built the runways for the B29 airplane that dropped the atom bomb, thus bringing the war to an end. After the war Larry attended St. John’s University in New York, and graduated from St. John’s Law School where he obtained his law degree. In 1949 he married Georgianna (Georgie) Sweet, with whom he had five children. He served as Claims Manager for USF&G Insurance Co, in Manhattan, handling many of the legal claims for them. In 1971 he moved his family to Southern California and worked in an executive capacity for Great American Insurance. Larry’s wife passed away in 1979, and in 1981 he married Pollie Gillham. His family then expanded to include her two children. Larry and Pollie traveled extensively until they moved in 1990 to their new home in Hope, Idaho, built by her son John. Larry loved to feed his herd of deer daily. He had a delightful sense of humor and thoroughly enjoyed meeting people and relating humorous events with them. Larry is survived by his wife, Pollie, his children: Janet, Larry (Maxine), Diane, Stephen, Bill, Jill (Dean) and John (Lynda). He is also survived by his grandchildren, Tara, Brian, Kara, Sara, Lacy, Justin, and by his favorite pet deer, Miss Piggy. He was often thought of as “The Milky Way Grandpa,” as they could usually find Milky Ways in his freezer. On Saturday, June 6, 2009 after a private family Mass by Father Dennis Day at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Larry will have a military funeral at Pinecrest Cemetery, again with just his family in attendance. Beginning at 2:00PM all of his family, friends, and neighbors are invited to a gathering at his home in a celebration of his life. In lieu of flowers it would be appreciated if donations were made in Larry’s name to the St. Joseph’s Building Fund in Sandpoint.