Larry Wayne Cupp

Cupp enlisted in the Army after graduating from Trimble Tech High School and was sent to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. He was stationed in Vietnam during the Vietnam War and was injured during an enemy attack. As a result, he was awarded the Purple Heart. He returned to military service in Germany, where he worked for the NSA observing Russian activities, including the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia.

After the service, he attended the University of Texas, then transferred to UT Arlington, where he earned degrees in chemistry and biology.

He went to work for Swift & Co. in Fort Worth and stayed on when it was sold to Bunge Co., where he worked in the quality control lab until his retirement in 2012.

Cupp was born on April 24, 1947, in Cullman, Alabama, and moved to Fort Worth as a 2-year-old.

He met his partner of 35 years, Darrell Goolsbee, in 1985, and the two were married in 2005 in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.

They bought their first Great Pyrenees dog in 1993 and have been active in the breed ever since, traveling the country to show the big white dogs and doing very small-scale breeding under the BigRig kennel name. Larry showed that first Pyr, Cody, himself to earn his AKC Championship. Together, Darrell and Larry have to date bred, owned or showed 3 Great Pyrenees Club of America Hall of Fame dogs; 10 AKC Champions; 3 AKC Grand Champions; an AKC Therapy Dog; and an AKC Rally title winner. Larry was vice president of the DFW Great Pyrenees Club and a former president.

He also was a longtime member of the Brentwood Oak Hill neighborhood Citizens On Patrol.

Larry Cupp was preceded in death by his mother, AudeenBostic; grandmother, Leona Cupp; and grandfather, Ervin J. Cupp.

He is survived by his spouse, Darrell Goolsbee; a brother, David Traffanstead; a sister, Wilma Hendrix; an uncle, ArveryCupp; a god-grandson, David Wise; a god-great grandson, Elijah James Wise; nieces Crystal Breito and Angela Garcia; nephews Michael and Jason Traffanstead; and many grand nieces and nephews.

Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday at 4:00 at Shannon Rose Hill Funeral Chapel, followed by visitation until 8:00 pm. Committal will follow on Thursday at 10:15 at DFW National Cemetery. Both services will be available to stream on funeral home Facebook page.