Oliver Lawrence Durocher

Far too common in the world are the stories of men who become victim to their circumstances, those who let their hearts become hardened and their minds become jaded. Oliver Lawrence Durocher was no such man. Being born in the Great Depression, growing up during the years of World War II, and fighting in Korea and Vietnam were never enough to squander the kindness and optimism that Larry, as he was known, would be remembered for.

Born October 28th, 1933, to Lawrence and Vera Durocher in Chicago, IL, Larry would move down to Jacksonville Beach, FL at a very young age after having lost his mother. Here, he would grow up and recall fondly the memories of watching NASCAR back when it was on the beach, convincing the Coast Guardsmen to let him and his friends swim despite the war time restrictions, running around on the boardwalk, and all the ways he managed to get suspended from Fletcher High School.

Not one for classwork, and with a desire to find new adventures he left school in favor of a GED and joined the Air Force at the age of 17. His time in the Air Force would be most notably spent in Korea where he served honorably. Returning home from the war, he worked briefly for a newspaper before once again growing tired of civilian life. This time joining up with the Army, Larry would go to Germany where his stories would fondly remember his time with the Airborne despite being afraid of heights. He would continue to reenlist, eventually going to Vietnam where he was proud to serve with the 196th Light Infantry, winning three bronze stars in the conflict.

Retiring from the Army as a Sergeant First Class, Larry returned to his beloved Jacksonville Beach and took up welding. Old habits die hard; NASCAR, country music, and beer league bowling have never known as much loyalty from any other. However, the most important thing to him were his children, George and Crystal. Imagine, if you will, a veteran in racing jackets and old unit patches sitting in the stands at every single cheer event his daughter was ever in, and you’ll begin to understand the love he had for his kids, and later grandkids. He was the kind of father/grandfather who never hesitated to give anything he could. Larry was the kind of man we should all strive to be. He always put the needs and wants of others above his own. So humbly did he live that many of his accomplishments are only remembered because of their relevance to a story he was captivating his grandchildren with, and even then, they are far too numerous to recall here. Only God knows how many more good deeds he performed and how many lives he touched. With him gone, the world loses a truly good man and a little bit more of the character that is to be admired from that generation. It’s true that history is full of ugliness, but Larry was the embodiment of what people mean when they say, “the good ole days.”

He joins his father and mother, brother Michael, and sisters Phyllis, Patricia, and Jane Alice. Larry is survived by his brothers James (Linda) and Dennis (Pam), sister-in-law Lesli, and children George and Crystal (Thomas), grandchildren Christian, Gabrielle, and Rykley, in addition to many nieces and nephews. Per his wishes, no service will be held.