Lawrence “Larry” Lonero passed away at his residence surrounded by family on Thursday, August 1, 2019 after a long illness. He was born on June 29, 1934 in Columbus, Ohio, the youngest of two sons. He grew up in Columbus, Ohio, Anchorage, Alaska and Atlanta, Georgia where he graduated high school from St. John’s College. He then attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated in 1958.
Upon graduation from West Point he entered the US Air Force. He was initially assigned to Strategic Air Command at Offutt AFB in Omaha, NE. He was soon assigned to the USAF space program and transferred to Patrick AFB in Florida near Cape Canaveral. In 1965 he transferred to the Manned Spacecraft Center (now Johnson Space Center) in Houston. He was honorably discharged in 1966 and earned several awards and medals during his service in the United States Air Force.
After separation from the USAF Larry stayed with NASA as a civilian contractor in Houston. He was a mission controller during the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. Among the many missions he participated in Apollo 11 and Apollo 13 were his finest. He, along with his fellow Apollo 13 mission control teammates, were awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for their success in bringing the Apollo 13 crew safely back to earth. He was instrumental in the development of the Space Shuttle program and continued to work on the shuttle program in various positions until his retirement from NASA (STSOC) in 1997.
Larry was very active in the League City community in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. He was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and assisted in the construction of the “new” church on Walker St. He was involved in various little league organizations in various capacities. He participated in League City politics assisting in the campaigns for Mayor Johnny Arolfo. Having a last name that ended in “o” placed him firmly in the League City Italian clan.
Larry was also a successful businessman and entrepreneur. He was a founder of Clear Lake Aviation, Inc., an airplane dealership, in the 1970’s. In a few short years Clear Lake Aviation grew into one of the largest Grumman American and Cessna dealers in the country. In 1969, he founded Lonero Tax Service, a tax preparation firm. He ran Lonero Tax Service until his retirement in 2013.
Larry was a veteran and patriot and prominently flew the American flag year around. He had many friends throughout his lifetime and cherished them all. He loved to help others and was a generous soul.
Larry was predeceased by his parents Charles and Mary Lonero and one brother Charles Lonero, Jr. He is survived by his wife Dora, his sons Larry Lonero, Jr. (wife Robyn), Michael Hicks (wife Lauren), step-daughters Liz Maldonado (husband Richard), Teresa Parasiliti (husband Randy) and step-son Ben Maldonado (wife Jessica); his grandchildren Sarah Roy ( husband Ryan), Beth Oliver (husband Jerrod) and Melanie Lonero and great-grandchildren Crosby, Noah and Declan Roy and Logan Lonero; and a host of nieces and nephews.
The family would like to thank Dr. Patrick Rudy for his years of compassionate care and also the nurses and doctors of A-MED Hospice for their care. A memorial service will be held at the Crowder Funeral Home Chapel, 111 E. Medical Center Blvd, Webster Texas at 6:30pm on Monday August 05, 2019.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Gary Sinise Foundation in support of veterans. https://www.garysinisefoundation.org/