Larry Hardenbrook Obituary

Larry Dale Hardenbrook left his house in Beaver City Nebraska on January 19, 2020. He was 78 years and had advanced Alzheimer’s Disease. We don’t know exactly what happened to him that cold winter’s night, but we are here to celebrate his LIFE!!

Larry was born in Arapahoe Nebraska to Bud Dale and Vona (Harmon) Hardenbrook, at his Grandmother’s home on December 7, 1941 (truly “a date which will live in infamy”). He grew up in Beaver City, playing football and basketball, graduating from High School in 1959. After spending a year in Colorado, working for Coor’s Brewing Company, he returned to Beaver and married his sweetheart, Karen LaVonne Theobald on December 16, 1962.

Larry enlisted in the Navy and was stationed in Virginia when Jeffery Scott and Cheryl Ann were born in 1963 and 1964. After an honorable discharge from the Navy, he was hired by Honeywell as a computer analyst. In 1968, the twins Mitchell Allan and Michelle Amber joined the family!

His career-- in the infancy of computer science, sent him across the United States and the Globe---from the suburbs of Chicago to Boston and Tennessee to Italy, Switzerland, Argentina and Germany. The family finally settled in Bellingham Massachusetts in 1977, where he worked until he retired in 2006!

Larry was an avid sports enthusiast! He loved watching and playing and was especially obsessed with tennis! He loved running and golf and later on in life, Ballroom dancing with Karen! He was a life-long Husker’s Football Fan! And later on, became a true Boston Sports Fan, loving the Red Sox, Celtics and Patriots! However, this loyalty did not compare to his kids and grandkids!! He coached town basketball for over 10 years and avidly attended their baseball, volleyball, tennis, lacrosse, crew, track and soccer games, as well as numerous dance recitals, band concerts, and school plays. He was a proud and enjoyed every moment!

Besides his family, Larry truly loved his pets! The legacy of the Hardenbrook Boxers started in 1970 when he went on a secret mission and came home with Sniffy!! Then came Freckles, Boober, Bridget, Heffer, Bud, Willow and lastly Brittany. There were many puppies in between, as well as cats, chickens, roosters & rabbits. His heart was big enough to hold them all!

Larry had many hobbies! He loved listening to music, especially 50’s and 60’s rock--- Elvis, the Beatles and Willie Nelson! He also loved to PUTTER in the yard, fixing this and that. He was a handy man with an engineering mind and he never sat still. He put in a pool, built fences and sheds, remodeled basements and kitchens and customized a Van so that we could travel to Nebraska every summer! He worked on all of our cars (as long as they were FORDS) and remodeled a 1964 VW bug! He also loved the ocean, spending time in Narragansett RI and Cape Cod Mass. He loved visiting his kids and grandkids traveling to Chicago, Dubai, Baltimore, Australia and Nashville among others. He & Karen also visited Bermuda, Greece, Alaska, Arizona and Texas! Life was his adventure!

Beyond his hobbies, Larry was known for being quiet (sometime scary quiet) yet engaging when in conversation. He was a great listener and had knack for making you feel heard. He was honest and fair, confident and loving, competitive yet humble. He believed in an equitable justice system and loved to listen and debate politics! His mood was always happy and had a plethora of Dad jokes!

Shortly after retirement at age 65, he began having trouble with his short-term memory. He and Karen decided to move back to Beaver City, Nebraska to be close to family and friends. Alzheimer’s took his memory, but it can never take the heart and soul of who Larry was and is. He will be forever missed!

He is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, Karen. He is also survived by their children—Jeffery (Bengt) Hardenbrook of Sydney, Australia, Cheryl of Bellingham, Massachusetts, Mitchell (Kristin) Hardenbrook of Hopkinton, Massachusetts and Michelle of Beaverton, Oregon. He will be greatly missed by his grandchildren Trevor (Stephanie), Alexander (Malory), Kelsea, Magdalen, Ryan, Padraig, Kylie, Anya and Abigail. He also leaves behind his sisters Dottie (Tom) Biros and Ruth (Matt) Chamberland and brothers Butch (Sue) and Johnnie (Karen) Hardenbrook and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Larry was preceded in death by his parents and parents-in-law John and Metta Theobald and his brother Ray, as well as brother-in-laws, Kelley, David and Blake Theobald.

There will be a celebration of life service on Friday, July 18, 2025 at 10 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Beaver City. In lieu of flowers the family has asked for donations to be made to the Alzheimer’s Association in Larrys name.