Larry Grubbs

First and foremost I would like to say THANK YOU to the Lino Lakes Police Department and Lino Lakes Fire Department.  Your response to my Mom's call and the way you all worked so hard will never be forgotten.  She felt safe and cared for and she is beyond grateful to have had that kind of experience.  So thank you to all that answered that call, and treated her like your own.  It did not go unnoticed. 

 

I am tasked to put into words my thoughts and feelings about a man that I was lucky enough to call my Dad for the last almost 30 years of my life.  I don't promise the next sentences will be poetic, or beautifully written for to write this is quite honestly one of the hardest things that I have done.  If you know Larry personally then you have to know that most of us thought he would be the last man standing on Earth!  He has escaped death multiple times and always came out almost stronger than he was when he went into the battle. He was the Marlboro man to me, always so strong, so rugged, and just unbeatable.  So to sit at this keyboard and put my thoughts to keys about him is an insurmountable task it feels but I want to do the best that I can for him so please bear with me. 

 

Larry Grubbs was a man who didn't always come at you with warm and fuzzy.  Often you would be lucky to get a head nod if his mind was racing, and it was always racing.  But the flip side of that was that if you were family or a friend his mind was racing with you on it.  I can't even count the amount of people he has helped, counseled, bailed out, or given a handout to.  He has been there for so many people and I have no doubt there are plenty more that I am not even aware of.   

 

His brothers and sisters...he is one of eleven.  Yep, not a typo...eleven kids.  He always said he was born to work.  A farm kid, made solely so they would have workers he would say.  It defined him in so many ways.  He was always working on something or somewhere.  Weekends, evenings, it didn't matter, he was working.  We would joke when people asked about his hobbies, uhhhhmmm he works we would say.  But his work ethic was a huge source of pride for him, and he did rely on it.  He felt comfort and purpose when he was working.  When it came to his sisters and brothers though that rule never faltered.  He is on the younger end of the eleven and I think they would all attest to the loyalty he felt for his siblings.  Being on the back end didn't stop him from stepping up when his sisters lost their husbands and needed help.  He put everything else on hold and worked tirelessly to put everything together for them and make them feel comfortable and safe. Side by side he worked day to day with one brother, and while that closeness always led to a few trials and tribulations hearing his brother say "I have never not had him to rely on and I don't know what this is supposed to look like" is just another testament to the family man that he was.   To this day and even in his death, I have no doubt he is worried for them and pacing tirelessly hoping they knew certain things, or tricks, or he told them the right things etc.  He never recognized himself in these situations he only sprang to action.  He never visualized having a choice, he just went directly to work.  And in speaking to a couple of them this week I know that his impact will be missed.  He would never have thought he was as important as he was.  He never let himself think that way but speaking to them this week I wish he could hear their words and heartbreak.  I wish he knew he wasn't just another pair of farm hands he was a brother that was unbreakable and always there for them.  

 

And here in Larry's story steps Linda.  To say that Larry loved Linda would be a gross understatement.  I will quote him directly "The sun rises and sets in that woman's ass for me." And that might sound funny but he loved her with all that he had. Larry was head over heels from the first meeting.  And that isn't a joke, he has loved no other woman but her for his entire life.  And they bickered, fought for control, tested each other's limits but in the end it was the same...his entire world was his wife.  No doubts, no hesitations, no questions, from day one she was everything to him and that didn't stop up until his last day. 

 

Here enters the story of his two boys, who only took second place to Linda mind you, but they were extremely close behind her that is for sure. He was fiercely protective and cautious when it came to them. There are many stories of him refusing sleepovers cause "they just went out a month ago."   Josh and Tony would move brick piles just for fun on weekends, to instill that same work ethic that he had of course.  He loved four-wheeling with them the most as they got older. The gun range at the cabin was fun for him to do with his boys as well. He always said he hated games but he rarely said no to a game of bags at the cabin if Josh or Tony asked him to play. He was always on the conservative side of them in taking risks, which sometimes led to frustration but in the end, deep down in his heart, he could only love Linda more than these two men.  He was beyond proud of them and probably didn't tell them enough but he often told me on our talks that his heart would ache sometimes with how much he loved his two sons. When Josh married Ruth, Larry was so happy for his son.  He saw in Ruth a bit of what he saw in himself, with the way that Ruth loved Josh and he admired that.  It would be weird to write about how Larry felt about me, but I do know that you don't have to share a bloodline with a man to be loved by him like a daughter. I do not doubt how he felt about me and I am grateful for that feeling. 

 

And then enters Cole and Gage his two grandsons...to call Larry simple seems insulting but in the end it was all about his wife, his sons (wives), and his two grandsons.  I believe if you stripped him of everything else and left him with just this group of people he would be more than happy.  He asked about the boys every day.  Always loved the stories, and if you know them then you know there is always a story.  He loved them beyond measure.  Also loved them being at the cabin, shooting baskets, having morning talks, pontoon rides, watching them play board games, etc. Sometimes I wonder if they could do anything wrong in his eyes. I would get frustrated and he would tap me on the shoulder and say "Girl...you gotta just relax...they are going to be just fine."  He didn't have the worry and concern for them that he had for his own two boys, he seemed to just be so sure they would be fine.  And if not, they would figure out how to get there. 

 

The shop, the customers, the old cars, the employees, and all the things that go with owning your own business.  He was there almost every single day for over 50 years.  He built that shop with the idea of a legacy being left behind and a hope to support his family.  I believe he succeeded a thousand times over.  Very few Lino residents can say they don't know Apitz Garage or the "cranky old guy" behind the desk.  Even today while arranging the service the funeral director told a story of his first hockey team being sponsored by Apitz Garage.  He and his business was a pillar in his community and I doubt that he even realized his impact in that way.  For him, it was just another day of work. 

 

This Friday (December 15), at Mueller-Bies Funeral Home in Lino Lakes, we will celebrate the life of a man who lived his life solely for his family and hope that you can join us from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM.