Obituary of Larry McGale

We are saddened by the passing of Larry Brian McGale on May 22, 2019 at the age of 84 years after a brave and lengthy battle with dementia. Larry was born on January 1, 1935 in Lloydminster, the 8 th of 9 children. Despite some tough economic times, Larry spoke fondly of his formative years in Lloydminster and the time he spent with his large family and many childhood friends.

Larry was well known in Lloydminster having lived and worked there his entire life. He was a stand-up guy with a reputation of being a family man, a good friend and someone you could trust and count on.  He always had time to share a good laugh, a good story or a cup of coffee talking about what was going on in the world.

Larry married the love of his life, Helen Murphy, on July 6, 1959 and they would have celebrated 60 years of marriage this year. Together they enjoyed a loving, respectful marriage and shared everything together through good times and bad. The dedication that Helen has shown the last 7 years caring for Larry each and every day during his battle with dementia is a testament to the love and dedication they shared for each other.

Larry also loved his work. He spent many years at Skinner Motors before moving into the insurance business. After starting his own insurance company, McGale Adjusters, Larry went to work for Husky Oil in Lloydminster and Calgary. Larry had a solid reputation as an expert in his field of risk management and he absolutely loved taking on the insurance companies with respect to holding them to account on their contractual obligations. Larry never had the chance to pursue a formal education, but he often talked about how he would have loved being a lawyer because of his ability to understand and dissect contracts. Based on the accolades from his peers when he finally retired from the business, there is no doubt this would have been the case.

Larry was a dedicated family man and he was extremely proud of the success that his children achieved in life with respect to their careers and their own families. Larry is survived by his children John McGale, Pat (Dawn) McGale, Sebastian (Laura) McGale, David (Karen) McGale, and Marina McGale. Larry loved his grandchildren too including Shealyn, Aly, Matthew, Carisa, Jessica, Ryan, Sara, Eoin and Ailis and great grandchildren Isaac, Ella, Linnea, Jordan and Maya.  Larry was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and a friend. He will be greatly missed by all.

Prayers and viewing will be held on Thursday, May 30 at St. Anthony’s Parish at 7 pm with funeral service on Friday, May 31 at 1:45 pm at St. Anthony's Parish.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Larry’s honor to the Alzheimer Society of Canada or to the donor's charity of choice.

Larry's funeral card can be viewed or downloaded from the link below: 

https://indd.adobe.com/view/18740549-7683-4c11-a9d0-278a0ed24250