Lawrence "Larry" Jacob Gassmann was born on February 11, 1954, in Colby,
Kansas, to Conrad and Magdalen (Weber) Gassmann. He passed away at the
age of 67 on May 12, 2021, in Overland Park, Kansas.
Larry grew up on a farm one mile west of Dresden, Kansas and
attended Leoville Grade School. From a small child on up, he was
accustomed to hard work helping on the farm, milking cows, raising
chickens, plowing fields, and assisting with the wheat harvest. As he
reached his early teens, he always raised a prized garden. In May 1968,
Larry graduated from Leoville Grade School and the following fall,
began attending Leoville High School as a freshman. He loved playing
sports, with basketball and softball being his favorite. Leoville High
School was unified with Hoxie High School the following year. Larry
attended Hoxie High the following three years and graduated as a senior
on May 22, 1972. As a high school student, Larry was involved in
numerous activities, including Future Farmers of America (FFA),
shop/woodworking and attended football and basketball games. In August
1972, he began attending Goodland Area Vocational Technical Trade
School, with a two-year program in electricity and electronics. He
supplemented his tuition by doing yardwork and landscaping for local
residents, including the Catholic church. Larry had a chance to
reconnect with Fr. Merlin Kieffer from Seven Dolars while he was in Via
Cristi. Fr. Merlin was the priest in Goodland that Larry did the yard
work for back in the early '70s, how ironic. In addition to that, he
also worked nights as a stocker at Larry’s IGA and eventually moved into
the produce department. Following graduation, Larry began working as a
specialist at Ulysses Irrigation in Goodland and continued his
part-time duties at Larry’s IGA. After 13 years, Ulysses Irrigation
went out of business and Larry headed east to become a resident of
Manhattan, Kansas in 1987.
That year, Larry was hired by Food-4-Less grocery store in Manhattan
to work in the produce department, moving up later to become the
store’s produce manager. He left Food-4-Less in 1993. He then went on to
work as a contractor for Equinox International and Swepco Petroleum out
of Fort Worth. In August of 1993 he was hired by the Riley County
Public Works as an Operator 2. During his 28-year career with Riley
County, he worked on the road and bridge repair crew, traffic control,
snow removal and sign division. Larry was a loyal employee and highly
devoted to Riley County during his tenure. He was set to retire on May
31, 2021.
A strong work ethic was instilled in Larry that was evident his
entire life, but he also enjoyed other activities besides work. He was
meticulous and organized, an avid recycler and had an interest in the
Oregon Trail. He also was a big fan of Kansas State football and the
Dallas Cowboys. When he purchased his house in 2009, he took great pride
in his yard. By using the knowledge, he gained from his work with Riley
County, he constantly looked for ways to improve it each year. It was
an annual challenge for Larry to find the best grass seed possible. The
farm never left Larry, as he loved working outdoors. The love of his
yard was evident in the beautiful lilacs and bushes that filled his
yard. He was very innovative and always had creative ideas. He had
started building a man cave/tornado shelter in his back yard that would
attach to his house which he planned on finishing once he retired. Also,
upon retirement he planned to build a nut and bolt sorter he had
designed on paper and wanted to renew his woodworking skills by building
picnic tables and Adirondack chairs to sell. Other retirement plans
included more work on his yard, remodeling his home, traveling with his
sisters to Europe and making many trips to Dallas to spend time with his
nephew, Connor.
He was a great asset to the KMKF radio station softball team in the
late 80s and was instrumental in helping the team win the city
championship in 1989. He had a great passion for classic cars and owned
several of them, including two Chevy Monte Carlos. However, his prized
possession was his 1972 green Ford Mustang Mach I. He also loved
riding his Kawasaki motorcycle and often took rides around town. On
weekend afternoons, it was not unusual to see Larry hand polishing his
vehicles in his driveway. Even as a small child, Larry’s biggest love
was for his kitties and he built a special burial place on the farm for
all the farm cats. Later in life, Larry continued his love for animals
and provided loving homes to numerous felines in Goodland as well as his
Manhattan kitty family over the years which included Zachary 1, Zachery
2, Zachery 3, Pause, Bevo and Worthless as well as his current kitty
family Ronald, Puma and Tiger.
Larry enjoyed eating and cooking. His Black Forest cherry cake was
his specialty and was a big hit with his friends and family. Other
favorite foods included blackberry dumplings, beans and noodles, popcorn
and popcorn balls, sunflower seeds, dill pickles and chicken and
noodles. Larry always had a love of music, movies, and television.
Favorite TV shows included Star Trek, Get Smart, Batman, Bonanza,
Dallas, Jericho, Two and a Half Men, Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond,
24, Blacklist, American Idol, Survivor and Big Brother. Larry’s
favorite music genre was classic rock from the '60s and '70s. He loved
the Grass Roots, the Raspberries, Three Dog Night, Neil Diamond and The
Monkees. His favorite song in his youth was "Little Arrows" by Leepy Lee.
His love of music continued later in life and he enjoyed a wide variety
of contemporary music throughout the years.
Larry is survived by his siblings: Francis Gassmann and wife Cindy
of Garden Plain, KS, Anthony Gassmann and wife Peggy of Dresden, KS,
George Gassmann and wife Vickie of New Almelo, KS, Mary Gassmann of
Indianapolis, IN, Ann Gassmann of Euless, TX, Theresa Gassmann of
Euless, TX, sister-in-law Debbie Gassmann of Leavenworth, KS, 18 nieces
and nephews, 54 great nieces and nephews, 7 step-nieces and nephews, 8
great-great nieces and nephews, 7 step great-great nieces and nephews,
his three kitties, Ronald, Puma and Tiger, as well as numerous beloved
friends.
He was preceded in death by his father, Conrad in 1975, mother,
Magdalen in 2020, sister, Donna in 1967 and brothers Ralph and Paul in
2013.
Larry was a kind and gentle soul to everyone he met and was
treasured by everyone. He will be incredibly missed by his family and
friends.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30 am Friday, May 21, 2021, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Leoville, Kansas. Burial will
follow at Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Leoville. Visitation will be
from 3-7:00 pm Thursday, May 20, 2021, at Pauls Funeral Home, Selden. A
Rosary will be said at 7:00 pm following the visitation at the funeral
home.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Riley County Humane Society or Mass Offerings. Condolences may be left at www.paulsfh.com