Larry Edward Shoemaker

Larry Edward Shoemaker, born June 20, 1947, passed away June 8, 2023. The son of Gerald and Thelma Shoemaker, he is survived by his wife Jan Shoemaker; daughters Britt (Brian) Bradley, Madeline (Jon) Wagner, and Anna (Eric Day) Trier; his sisters Jane (Rich) Weiderman and Jill Hagan; several beloved nieces and nephews; and many friends including Jim Hagan, his former college roommate, handball nemesis, golfing partner, and caring companion to the end.

A homebody at heart, Larry grew up in Haslett, graduated from MSU, and settled down in Okemos. He taught at Mason High School for 37 years where, fondly known among students as “Shoe,” he was popular for his easy-going nature and wry sense of humor. He wasn’t above pranks. September after September, he fed his new history students the lie that, if they stood to the left of a colleague who taught across the hall and leaned in close they could get a glimpse of his glass eye, and every September this besieged man would flee to the hall when the bell rang, brushing students away like flies. Shoe watched, laughing.

Poised and disciplined, Larry was an outstanding athlete. A tennis coach at both Mason and Haslett high schools, he shared his love of the game with decades of student-athletes. He was on the court, himself, most days, playing with friends winter and summer, indoors and out. He never threw a racket, never boasted or swore. “Saint Larry” was a name his friendly competitors bandied about: it fit in more places than on the court.

Larry had been teaching for a couple of decades when he met Jan, a broke single mom with two young daughters who fell in love with him on their first date. It took less than a month for Maddie and Anna to love him too and a year later he became their dad. After negotiating a child-raising role with Jan, in which she would do the disciplining and he “would mop up,” he set about being the endlessly kind, generous, and supportive father lots of kids dream about and the smart, funny partner Jan knew how lucky she was to have. He gave them everything he had except the ability to return a ball over a net. No three women ever loved a man more.

Born on the summer solstice, Larry was a man of light. He had music in him, and stories. Friends cherished him. Kids relaxed around him. Dogs adored him. In a slap-dash universe rife with error, in Larry, that universe hit its mark; in Larry, that universe got it right.

A memorial for Larry will be held later this summer. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Hospice of Lansing or the Ingham County Animal Shelter.