Larry Otis Waggoner

Larry Waggoner passed away peacefully 12/29/22 at St. Michaels Hospital in Silverdale, WA. He was preceded in death by his wife Lolita Waggoner of 43 years. He was born in Montana in 1939 and moved to Bremerton with his family in 1942 after Pearl Harbor. Housing in the Bremerton area was very scarce. There was a men’s barracks where Olympic College is today but no place in town for families. Larry and his mother would spend the day at Evergreen Park and then sneak into the men’s barracks at night through a window. Weeks later the family rented a converted chicken coop in Silverdale and eventually moved into a house in the Westpark housing project. His mother and father worked at the Shipyard along with his grandparents. Larry attended schools in Bremerton and graduated from West High School in 1957. He then started a machinist apprenticeship and after graduation, attended the University of Washington. He returned to the Shipyard and became the first Radiological Control Technician at the Shipyard in 1963 and worked his way through management positions until retirement in 1993 as the Assistant Nuclear Repair Officer/Project Manager. He then took a temporary job at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation that lasted 15 years. He set up and managed the Hanford ALARA Training Center that showcased the latest innovative equipment, materials and work practices used in the nuclear industry. He was honored as the Health Physicist of the Year and selected as a “Fellow” of the Health Physics Society in 2006. He retired again in 2008 and worked as a consultant to the nuclear industry until his death. He joined the National Guard in 1956 and completed 22 years before retiring as a Captain. He was a member of the Saints Car Club and had a great love of classic cars. He wanted to thank the doctors and nurses at St. Michaels for their wonderful care. He is survived by his sons Gary, Danny (Temple), Merle and Michael (Carrie) and four grandchildren Taylor, Cody, Carsten, and Zachary. The family will hold a private gathering at a later date.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.miller-woodlawn.com for the Waggoner family.