Lawrence M Dent

Lawrence Miller Dent, 84, of Clyde Township, passed away Saturday, January 27, 2024.

He was born February 23, 1939 to Gertrude Lewis in Saginaw. Jobs were hard to find and Gertrude had to find work out of town. Subsequently, Larry would spend his early years living in Reece with his grandparents, Robert and Ida (Adley) Lewis, whom he held tremendous respect for. Larry especially looked forward to weekends, when his mother would come home to see him. The farmhouse lacked indoor plumbing which proved to make life challenging, but warm baths in a large tub on the kitchen table became special childhood memories. Larry attended VanPatten Country School, which was part of his grandparent’s family farm. His cousins would also live there during the summers and Larry was especially close with cousin Avis.

In 1946, his mother married Wilfred Dent. Larry would live the rest of his childhood in Mason, MI on their 40-acre dairy farm. He attended the “pink” school, a one-room schoolhouse, through grade 7. On the farm, there was always work to do. He wasn’t allowed to do anything else until his chores were finished, yet it seemed there was always more work to do. Larry found his solace and happiness in the field on a tractor which continued the rest of his life. He grew up on an IH Farmall Super H and always looked forward to gaining newer tractors, as they would get the fields done faster.

He attended Mason High School, where he played football, basketball, and baseball and acquired “All Star” status in 1956. Even recently, Larry could talk about any game he played like it was yesterday. During these high school years, he developed life-long friendships with many of his classmates.

After high school, Larry was a scholarship basketball player for George Williams College in Chicago for a year. He then moved back to Mason and attended Michigan State where he was a member of the football team.

Larry met Janet Thiel during her senior year at Michigan State. Larry worked various jobs on campus from agriculture to the union, and occasionally, he would be working on the roof and spot Janet walking between classes and call to her. Sometimes, Janet would acknowledge him, sometimes not. But they did fall in love and were married the following year on June 27, 1964 in Detroit.

Larry & Janet made their first home in Charlotte, MI. Larry worked at a bank and Janet was an elementary school teacher during this time and their first child, Jennifer, was born. The next move was to Warren where Larry worked at the GM Tech Center for a couple of years. After that, he began his banking career in Pontiac where he learned the banking craft and it became one of his life-long passions. Their second child, Jonathan, was born.

Larry’s final move was to Peoples Bank in Port Huron. They lived in the Old Farms subdivision, which had many wonderful families and was a perfect place to raise children. Jeffrey was born in Port Huron and the family was complete.

Larry became involved in the community and developed many relationships. He was active in the Noon Optimists and was Past President of the United Way of St. Clair County, during which time he managed the construction of the Community Dental Clinic. He was also involved with the Port Huron Minor Hockey Association and a Past President of the Port Huron Figure Skating Club. Additionally, he taught an evening business class at SC4 for decades.

When his parents retired to Palemetto, FL, Larry took his family on many trips to visit, always with a stop in Gatlinburg along the way. He deeply enjoyed traveling, especially trips out west with Bill and Diane, and to Europe with the family.

Larry’s lifelong passion for farms led to an interest in country real estate. He had a passion for buying, selling, and maintaining parcels; and found pleasure in having family and friends invest in farms with him. Much of his time in recent years was spent maintaining his farm properties with his good friend, Jim.

Larry was a master of the chainsaw. “Lighting Lar” could drop a tree anytime, anywhere. With his stubbornly expert navigation skills on the tractor with the brush hog, shear pins didn’t stand a chance. When he wasn’t working, Larry appreciated time spent over hearty meals with close friends Tim and Don.

He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Janet; three children, Jennifer (Jerry) Weaver, Jonathan Dent and Jeffrey (Sarah) Dent PA-C; and three grandsons whom he took great delight in and loved dearly, Michael, Henry and Christopher Dent. He was preceded in death by his parents, Wilfred and Gertrude Dent.

Visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, February 14, 2024 and 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, February 15, 2024 in Pollock-Randall Funeral Home.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, February 16, 2024 in First Presbyterian Church with visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m. Dr. Roxie Davis will officiate.

Burial will be in Lakeside Cemetery, Port Huron, followed by a luncheon at Port Huron Golf Club.

Memorial contributions may be made to the United Way of St. Clair County. To send condolences, visit pollockrandall.com

Dad loved his family, friends, farms and tractors. May God bless us and save us all in Heaven, for Christ’s sake. Amen.