Larry French

Larry W. French, 70, of Jackson went to be with the Lord Sunday, April 5, 2015. Surrounded by his family, he passed away peacefully at his home.

He was born Nov. 29, 1944, in Mount Vernon, Illinois, to Goebel W. and Mildred M. Woodward French. At the age of 9, he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at First Baptist Church in Centralia, Illinois. He and Esther Tripp were married April 29, 1972, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau.

Larry was a 1963 graduate of Burlington High School in Burlington, Iowa.

He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, serving honorably from Nov. 10, 1965, to Oct. 1, 1969.

The French family lived many years in Galesburg, Illinois. Larry worked 32 years at the Maytag Corp., retiring Oct. 1, 1995. He was an active member of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, teaching Sunday school many years, serving on the evangelism committee and serving as president of the local branch of Aid Association for Lutherans.

After retiring, he and Esther moved to Jackson. He was a faithful member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Chapel in Cape Girardeau and a member of Altenthal-Joerns American Legion Post 158 in Jackson.

Larry was passionate about his family, was an avid fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and enjoyed sharing his love of music with relatives and friends.

Survivors include the love of his life, his wife of nearly 43 years, Esther, of Jackson; two children, Julie (Eric) Schultz of Decatur, Illinois, and Matthew (Dori) French of Wentzville, Missouri; four grandchildren, Michael Schultz, Benjamin Schultz, Gavin Merkle, Macy French and soon to come Braydin French; two brothers, Jerry (Anna) French and Michael French (John Johnsen); and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by a brother, Jim French; his parents; and a half-sister, Sheila.

Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the chapel of McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson.

The funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Weston Wildauer officiating. Burial will be in Russell Heights Cemetery in Jackson with full military honors.

Memorials may take the form of contributions to Good Shepherd Lutheran Chapel or Saint Francis Hospice.