Did you ever get the wind knocked out of you?
Last Thursday, we lost one of the last of the fat-tire cowboys—Larry Thane Acord, he was 76 years old.
Larry lived many lives. He was a bush pilot in Alaska. He repossessed airplanes. He raced the Baja 1000. He rode motorcycles with Steve McQueen. He served as a Navy corpsman. He led ski patrols, saving lives in avalanches. And he was a master craftsman who could build anything from scratch.
The last few years of Larry’s life were tough. Doctors gave him ten years to live—thirteen years ago. He outlasted that prognosis like he did everything else, with grit and humor. He even wore a T-shirt to his oncology appointments that read, Hard to Kill.
But the hits kept coming. He lost the love of his life, Marilyn—his high school sweetheart—just over a year ago. He faced numerous health challenges, and to top it off, he was displaced by the Palisades fires. Lately, he had been living with his good friend John in Santa Monica.
This past Thursday, I called to check in on Larry. I just wanted to hear his voice, make him laugh, maybe grab lunch. I knew things had been hard, but I never truly worried—he was tougher than nails.
When the phone was answered, it was John, his very close friend. I asked where Larry was. He paused, then told me Larry had passed—just ten minutes before my call. He had climbed up on the roof in the Palisades to clean the gutters. We’d all told him it was a bad idea. He fell and died on impact.
It took me a few days to process the shock. It didn’t seem real. Larry was invincible. This wasn’t supposed to be how his story ended. I asked Larry once to describe himself. He said, “I was never the golf club, I was always the golf ball.” Yep, Larry was always fearlessly putting himself out there to have adventures, be the best he could be and help people along the journey. Not a bad life.
I’ve come to peace with the fact that he’s with Marilyn now. He’s no longer in pain. And while his loss hurts deeply, I’m grateful for the incredible impact he had on everyone lucky enough to have known him. He was a true inspiration from a generation that never complained, always worked hard and loved his friends.
Love you and will never forget you pal. –Al Q
flies, sand & surf 