Posted by Tom Lagarenne on January 26, 2012:

From: Tom Lagarenne, USMA '77 To: All Friends and Family of Larry Artman, USMA '77 Classmates, and all Members of the Long Gray Line The text below is from an email that I sent, 12/24/11, to a group of people with whom Larry and me had worked with at AT&T, 1992-1997. It was in reply to an AT&T colleague who had heard about his passing, and had queried me as to what happened. It is the first thing that I wrote about Larry's death, after that dreadful, painful, grievous Monday night of 12/12/11. As I read it now, the email seems so "factual"; I was in such a state of sorrow then, still numb, in the early stages of the grief process, just shy of two weeks out. FYI, as the email text below stated - I was there on the 20th of January, 2012 at the gravesite in Gowen City, PA, the Memorial (Lutheran) Church service, and the post-service meal. It was a military funeral, with the American flag presented to his brother, and a 21 gun salute facilitated by the local VFW (a few remembered the pride they felt when Larry attended USMA). Then, at the church, we celebrated Larry's life. I sang for him (Ave Maria and the Lord's Prayer) and delivered the eulogy. Along with his brother Glen, my wife Reggi (Regina) and I were the very last to leave the place. As I stated in the eulogy, Reggi and I had the privilege and joy of "witnessing" Larry's life, just as we "witness" the lives of our family members and spouses. I will miss him for the remainder of my days on earth, and will forever remember out time together, beginning senior year at West Point until the last time I saw him, Monday night 11/21/11. I intend to continue to write about/to Larry, as it is my honor and responsibility to do so; he and I had truly become family through the years, having shared countless hours together in the pursuit of numerous endeavors. Thus, as a starting point, this is merely my first installment. Tommy Lagarenne, tlagarenne@verizon.net, 908-674-0586(C) Text of Email, 12/24/12: Kathleen, et. al., My friendship with Larry never waned from those days when we were all together [at AT&T]. In fact it had grown since then, relative to time together, as I was like Larry's brother, he was like my "6th brother", and he was a regular part of our lives, Reggi and me, and the kid's new him all of their lives, too. We last saw him Monday night, 11/21, Thanksgiving week. The game plan was that he was going to head out to his childhood home, in Lavelle PA, eat Thanksgiving dinner at his sister's house right down the street, and be in the woods the Monday after Thanksgiving, with his brother Glen, hunting for deer. This was his ritual, and he had done this annually for a good number of years. Due to various factors, for both us and his family, the next two weeks after Thanksgiving only attempts were made by phone to contact him, but no alarms went off for the lack of contact. However concern was steadily rising in Reggi and me, as though it was coming through the ether. On Monday, 12/12, I finally called his sister's house after having vacillated calling through the weekend, and was told he never showed up for Thanksgiving. I called Reggi from work and she said we should both drive over to his house at Lake Hopatcong together. We found him sitting in a folding chair, arms hanging down at his side, head leaned back like he was stretching his neck. The Medical Examiner estimated death, considering last voice contact (with his brother Glen), and laptop computer usage as maybe 11/22 - 11/23. He had been there all that time. Since it was ruled no foul play involved, natural causes, no autopsy was conducted, the body was taken by a local funeral parlor. It was cremated on 12/15. We (Reggi and I) have since deduced that it was a brain event (aneurism, stroke), not a heart stoppage. He went out like a candle being blown out. There will be a memorial service out in Lavelle either on 1/6 or 1/20, it remains to be finalized. I expect to eulogize him and sing for him. Tommy.

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