Larry Dean Lemons

Larry Dean Lemons was born December 6, 1938, in Alliance, NE to Mary Magdalene Kammerer Lemons and Tommy C Lemons.  He grew up in Belmont, NE and the family, which included his brothers Jim and Keith, moved in 1947 to Crawford, NE.  In reflecting on his life in his final hours, he shared that he learned about love and caring for others from his mother.  He credited his father for being a wonderful provider and for modeling a strong work ethic.  To be sure, his greatest inheritance was coming from a loving family in a town he was proud to call home.  He was the youngest graduate of the Crawford High School Class of 1955 and was looking forward to attending the 70th reunion of his class this coming June. 

Even before he graduated from high school, he had discerned that teaching and coaching were his calling.  His paternal uncle, Lawrence Lemons, was a legendary teacher and school leader in western Nebraska who had great influence on Larry and his vocational choice.   Larry earned his bachelor’s degree from Chadron State College in 1959 and later his master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Kearney State College (University of Nebraska Kearney).   

He became a teacher in the Scottsbluff, NE Public Schools in 1959 and was among the State of Nebraska’s earliest Special Education teachers.  Larry worked diligently and creatively to meeting his students’ needs and to prepare them for the world of work through practical experiences as part of the high school curriculum.  He served as a teacher and coach there until 1979.  At that time, he entered the sporting goods business for eight years.  The siren call of education returned for him in 1987 as he served as guidance counselor in the Hershey, NE Public Schools until his retirement. 

While he was a teacher through and through, his greatest passion might have been in the lessons learned on fields, courts, and track and field venues.  He began coaching football and track and field at Scottsbluff in 1959, where he served until 1979.  His freshman football teams had a dominant record that predicted the successes that were ahead.  In 1966, he was elevated to the high school football staff at Scottsbluff High School.  In 1967, the Bearcats had a banner season in which their undefeated team was crowned the Class A State Champions by the Omaha World Herald.  Larry was extremely proud to speak on behalf of the 1967 football team and coaches at their induction into the Nebraska State Activities Association Hall of Fame in 2017 and similarly as part of the inaugural class of the Scottsbluff High School Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023.  Equally, he shared great pride in being part of the induction of the 1958 Chadron State College football team in 1998. 

In 1958 he married LaVona Lee Smith and together they raised three children, Jay, Jill, and Holly in a loving home that was extended to countless other relatives and friends, who all enjoyed LaVona’s exceptional hospitality and Larry’s amiable manner.  He never met a stranger, was a gifted conversationalist, enjoyed a good laugh, was never in a hurry, and was generous in his love of others.   

When Larry was 9 years old, he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  He could not have had a better partner in living with this disease than his wife. LaVona, a home economist with strong nutritional knowledge, was vigilant in caring for him and monitoring him, although, she largely shunned abstinence from sweets, which was part of the therapeutic treatment of Type 1 Diabetes for much of his life.  Brownies, cookies, and cinnamon rolls were always present in the family home and over the years abstinence fell away as part of the therapy for diabetes. 

His children lived with the reality that he might face disability or death prematurely throughout their lives.  Given LaVona’s loving care and his own exceptional discipline, Larry lived for more than 77 years with Type 1 Diabetes.  He never lost his eyesight; never lost a limb; never was incapacitated. Ultimately, he lost his battle through a combination of cardiovascular and renal failure.  His family will apply posthumously for the Joslin Center for Diabetes Medal, which recognizes those who survive the longest with insulin dependence.  Fewer than 125 persons of the estimated more than 20-30 million people globally who have been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes since 1948 have lived with the disease for 75 years.  Truly, he was a champion through and through. 

He was also a champion husband, family man and father. Larry and LaVona shared nearly 62 years of loving marriage.  They were each other’s best friends and were supremely supportive of one another in their familial, professional, and community interests.  He is survived by his three children, Jay (Marsha Schone Lemons), Jill, and Holly (Troy Salisbury) and grandchildren Kate Dickensheets (Bobby Dickensheets), Drew Doty (David Melanson), Olivia Lemons, Magdalene Lemons (Ashish Streatfield), Thomas Lemons (Kait Ely), Meredith Grace Lemons, Jared Salisbury, great granddaughter Lucy Dickensheets (Bobby and Kate) and his brother, Jim (Anita) and several nieces and nephews.  He was predeceased by his parents, his brother, Keith, his in-laws, Ronald and Edna Smith, wife, LaVona, and granddaughter, Emily Salisbury.

Larry’s latter years were brightened by a rekindling of his high school romance with Saundra Johnson Stephens of Monticello, IN. Every day he looked forward to an evening call with Saundra who brought him much joy and happiness and they managed to visit one another both in Indiana and Colorado to the great delight of both of their families.  Larry said “It has made the past few years of my life more pleasurable.”   

Larry deeply appreciated his devoted physicians Dr. Chris Drysdale, Dr.  Jameel Chohan, Dr. Sara Burgardt, and Dr. Robert Schulte along with countless members of their teams.  Additionally, he was grateful to have had devoted home care and medical assistance from Crystal Pink.  Finally, he was blessed with tight circles of friends in Scottsbluff, North Platte, and Loveland, CO where he lived for his last 12 years in the Mirasol and Brookdale communities with cherished neighbors and caregivers. 

Larry’s final days came as his heart was too weak to continue dialysis.  In these final days, his family was blessed with opportunities to reflect and remember, to say our farewells and to be in his company.  The old coach saved his best teaching for these final days.  He was filled with gratitude, wisdom, and love and he shared it abundantly with all in his circle and all who cared for him. 

A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday, May 24 at 11 am at the Mirasol Senior Living Community in Loveland Colorado with a luncheon to follow. 

In lieu of flowers, gifts in Larry’s memory made be made to the Larry and LaVona Lemons Scholarship fund at Chadron State College, 1000 Main Street, Chadron, NE 69337 or Breakthrough T1D (formerly, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) at PO Box 5021, Hagerstown, MD 21741 or the Scottsbluff High School Athletics Hall of Fame, 313 East 27th Street, Scottsbluff, NE 69361.