As noted in his obituary, Larry was a charismatic presence, gregarious, great company, with an infectious laugh. Larry was Irish, and he made no secret of this. He didn't believe in God and he made no secret of this either. As the Venerable Andrew Pike told the guests, he believed in himself.
He was a great athlete and he made no secret of this either. He was a star rugby player, swimmer, shot put thrower, squash player, boxer, to name just a few of his sports. In recent years you could find him on the golf course at Point Grey. .You can read his Canadian obituary here: https://vancouversunandprovince.remembering.ca/obituary/laurence-cheevers-1089177693
You can read an Irish obituary in the Galway Advertiser which also reported on his death late last year. https://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/138853/larry-cheevers
Not only was Larry a successful dentist, he also qualified as the first Forensic Odontologist in the Province, helping to solve over 2500 cases. Chico Newell, a former BC Coroner had several very funy stories to tell. He had a lot more that he wouldn't tell.
I first met Larry in 1981 when I was working at Narod Developments. We were developing Multiple Unit Residential Units (MURBS) which were an effective way of encouraging private sector investment in rental housing by offering tax write-offs against other income. As a result they were attractive to doctors, dentists, and other high income people.
Shortly after I joined he firm I was given a list of doctors and dentists to call to tell them which units were still available for sale. Initially I told my boss I was reluctant to call them during the day since they would likely be with patients. "Don't be silly" my boss replied. "They are all waiting for your call. This will be the most important call of their week." As a very successful dentist with a large practice at Commercial and Main, Larry bought a lot of MURBs over the years. Over the next 40 plus years we we regularly met and inevitably discussed real estate and city planning, often at the Arbutus Club where he could be found, and on the golf course.
Larry had two accomplished daughters Emma and Melissa. As his daughter Emma told the more than 500 people who filled two large rooms at the Arbutus Club, Larry had no filters. He would often say the most outrageous things. To prove the point, (as if it needed to be proven) she described what it was like arranging their regular Uber trips to the hospital once he could no longer drive. Larry would always sit up front and inevitably wanted to knnow where the driver was from. Then he wanted to know the driver's religion, and by the end of the trip what he did to give pleasure to his wife or girlfriend!
As you entered one of the rooms, you were confronted by newspaper stories and photos of Larry, some of which had been turned into postcards. Guests were invited to take them home and write a favourite story about Larry and mail it back to the Cheevers Girls in the self-addressed and stamped envelopes provided. Sadly, one of my favourite stories needs to be told, not written out. But suffice it say, it happened on a golf course and involved a lot of profanity.
At the conclusion of the remarks, a wonderful video of Larry's life prepared by his daughter Melissa was shown. You can watch it here. https://vimeo.com/904324521
Rest in peace Larry (although I'm sure that's not what you want.) While you may be gone, you'll never be forgotten.
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