Larry's warm smile and gentle ways provided an allure about him that was tough to resist. He was a true gentleman whose ways served as an example for others to emulate and to aspire. I see his spirit in his sons today as they too imbue the morals and values he must surely had instilled in them throughout their lives. I rest knowing his spirit lives on in them as they too will pass along the virtues he personfied in them.
Because he was introduced to me as "Dad' it was the name I had courageously decided to use; After all, his son Lance is as close as any brother I've ever had. It's been said that family can be defined in many ways and is oftentimes made up of people who aren't always connected by true blood lines. Such is my case with the Waddy family.
Larry died one week before the Memorial Day weekend, but not before having fought his last good fight against the infirmities that would take him from this earth to a place of eternal rest and solace where he joins his band of brothers and sisters that have gone before him. He leaves behind a legacy fitting of a true hero, having earned a Bronze Star and the highest enlisted rank in the US Air Force─Chief Master Sergeant.
A brilliant man with a brilliant mind and a joyful soul, I'm grateful to have known him, this father figure, hero, and friend. He will be missed but never forgotten.
In Memory of Chief Lawrence Waddy, Jr....Dad
