Larry Dean Stoneman

     Larry Dean Stoneman, age 80, of Elsie, entered eternal peace on Thursday, August 28, 2025. Larry was born on May 8, 1945, at home in Ashley, Michigan, to the parents of Fred and Loretta (Barrett) Stoneman. The youngest of 4 children, Larry attended Ola School and graduated from Ashley High School in 1963. In his youth, he worked on his family farm, played sports, hunted, and tried unsuccessfully not to get sprayed by skunks.
     In May 1966, he married his wife of 59 years, Sherry Rae Saylor, at St. Cyril’s Church in Bannister, Michigan. He then proudly served in the United States Navy from 1966 to 1972, spending his entire naval career in the Atlantic. He often told the story of his fondest memory in the Navy of attending a bull fight in Spain and rooting for the bull.
     In 1973, the family moved and settled into their home on Ridge Road in Elsie, where they raised their family, attended St. Cyril’s, and resided for 50-plus years. He worked at General Motors Lansing in skilled trades, machine repair, for 33 years, retiring in 1999. While lacking what one could call a ‘good’ John Wayne impression, his telling of countless adventures and capers at ‘the shop’ could entertain for hours.
     Larry really enjoyed music, sports, old movies, and auto racing, a gift he passed along to all his sons. Larry also never met a piece of pie he didn’t love. But his real talent was working with his hands and fixing things, especially cars. His love of classic cars was a topic of many discussions and turned every family car ride into a potential lightning round of “What’s that car?” Many family members, friends, and friends of family members benefited from his uncanny ability to fix a car.
     He was preceded in death by his mother and father, his sister Shirley Rademacher, brother Lee James, and brother John (Jack), to whom he was especially close.
     Larry is survived by his wife and sons: David (Heidi), Mike (Kim), Keith (Susan), and Kevin, as well as 11 grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren.
     Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Cyril’s Catholic Church, Bannister, Michigan, on Thursday, September 4, 2025, at 11:00 A.M. with Rev. Fr. Andizej Boroch presiding. Burial will take place at Riverside Cemetery, Elsie, Michigan. Visitation will be held at Smith Family Funeral Homes, Elsie, Michigan, on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, from 2-8 P.M. with the family present from 2-4 & 6-8 P.M. A Rosary will be prayed at 7:00 P.M. on Wednesday at the funeral home.
     In lieu of flowers, the family requests that private donations be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital or Bethany Christian Services. Online condolences may be sent at www.smithfamilyfuneralhomes.com. The family is being served by Smith Family Funeral Homes, Elsie, Michigan.