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- Larry John Klika
August 10, 1948 - April 29, 2017
Missoula - Larry John Klika went Home to Heaven on April 29,2017. He is loved and missed by his Wife, Linda, Sons, Brett (Lisa), Bart (Erika) and three amazing granddaughters: Lucy, Maddie and Piper; Sister, Karen, and Brothers, Mike, Jerry and Joe.
Larry was born August 10, 1948 in Appleton, Wisconsin to Cyril and Evern Klika In 1964 his family moved to Salem, Oregon. There Larry attended North Salem High School and graduated in 1966. After high school Larry was accepted to the School of Pharmacy at Oregon State University. During the Summer between their Junior and Senior years he married Linda Hippe. He graduated in 1971. After completing his Internship he worked in both retail and hospital positions. Larry and Linda loved camping and fishing on the North Santiam river. Larry built his fly rod and tied the flies that caught him so many fish. All of this led him to return to OSU for a masters degree in Fish Toxicology. He studied the blood brain barrier in the trout. He graduated from that program in 1976
In January of 1977 their first Son, Brett was born. He was such a proud Daddy and loved our new little guy so very much. That same year Larry accepted a position as Hospital Pharmacist at Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay, Oregon. Their second Son, Bart, was born there in June of 1980. Again he loved this little guy from the second he first saw him.
In 1983 Larry went to work as a Hospital Pharmacist for Kaiser Permanente in Portland, Oregon. He was known for his humor and funny stories. Larry loved to make people laugh. His staff presentations always involved a funny "hook" to hold the group's attention. Those were busy years with Brett and Bart's sports (baseball, soccer, track and swimming) as well as school programs, concerts and plays. He has always been so proud of his Sons and their accomplishments. As our family has grown he has been equally as proud of his Daughters (in law) also.
After the boys headed off to college Larry and Linda began running 5K and 10K races. They found that they were very competitive, especially with each other, which was the source of many funny stories. Larry even did a triathalon in 2013. He was also talked into swing dance lessons and enjoyed going dancing on Friday nights. His last 15 years of work were for Kaiser's Medication Management Program as a Clinical Pharmacist. Larry retired in 2012. His new love and career was being PAPA to his little granddaughters who mean the world to him.
In March of 2015 Larry and Linda moved to Missoula, Montana. That Fall he was diagnosed with Alzheimers Disease. This led to his involvement with the Missoula Coalition on Aging and Disabilities. He spoke on a panel to doctors and seniors and the general public about his journey with this disease. He encouraged people to live their lives to the fullest for as long as they possibly could.
On February 10 Larry suffered a stroke which developed many life threatening complications making the Alzheimers progress more quickly. Larry passed away April 29, 2017.
The Memorial Service to celebrate Larry's Life will be held on Saturday, September 9th at 2:00 P.M. at The First United Methodist Church at 18955 South End Rd. Oregon City, OR 97045.
In lieu of flowers, if you wish, donations can be sent to The First United Methodist Church in Oregon City, OR (at the address above) for Youth and Sunday School programs. Or to The Missoula Coalition on Aging and Disabilities for their efforts to help people Live Well With Dementia. The address is Missoula Aging Services, 337 Stephens Ave. Missoula, Montana 59801
Published in StatesmanJournal on Sept. 3, 2017
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1948 - 2017 (68 years)
