Larry Verl Gow

Larry Verl Gow, 84, passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of Saturday, January 27, 2024, after a years-long battle with dementia. While we will miss him immensely, we take comfort that he is now whole and resting in the Lord. Larry was born in Spokane, Washington, to Chester and Marie in 1940 and lived there until his family moved to the small town of Index, Washington. While the move was difficult at first, Larry would come to treasure his time in Index, and loved to share stories of roaming the town and swimming in the river’s ice-cold waters of the Skykomish river. Larry’s teenage years were interrupted and his high school graduation was delayed when he suffered a terrible automobile accident. The crash broke every bone in his body and left him hospitalized for many months. In his later years, Larry loved to tell the story of his time in the hospital, and in particular how he grew close to all the nurses who took care of him during his recuperation. Larry’s injuries never slowed him down. Even before the accident, he had developed a strong work ethic, and over the course of his lifetime he worked in the woods with his stepdad, Sam; worked construction in Las Vegas; and worked various jobs at lumber and plywood mills in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties, doing jobs ranging from pulling green chain to driving a CAT 966 wheel loader at the plywood mill. Larry’s son, Ken, recalls times when Larry brought him to work, sitting beside his dad in the cab of the 966 at night as his dad loaded enormous piles of logs into the towering steam vats. While living in Humboldt, Larry met his future wife, Judy. They married in 1969 and Larry became stepfather to her two children, Joy and Sean. One year later, Larry and Judy had a son, Ken. Larry lived in Humboldt for many years. At various times he lived in Arcata, Fieldbrook, and Eureka. When he wasn’t working, he enjoyed spending time with friends and competing in local pool tournaments. Family was always important to him, and he also took regular trips to Washington state to visit relatives. Larry later moved to Vancouver, Washington, and then further north to Monroe, where he spent much of his time helping out around the Sultan Saw Shop for his mother, Marie, and stepfather, Sam, until they passed away. Larry had a lifelong love of music, movies, and cars of the 1950’s and 1960’s. In his retirement, he bought a 1964 Chevelle Malibu convertible. He spent much of his time working on his car, or else relaxing and watching the movies he loved in his youth. On sunny days, he could be found driving around Monroe with the top down, his beloved Pekingese dog, Sammy, at his side. Larry is survived by his son, Ken McGowan (April), his stepchildren Joy and Sean, and his grandchildren Madeline McGowan and Seth McGowan. He is preceded in death by his parents, Chester and Marie, and his stepfather, Sam. Our family would like to thank Newberg Avamere memory care and their incredible staff, as well as Serenity Hospice and their care team.

Larry Verl Gow

January 13, 1940 - January 27, 2024