Obituary of Lawrence Joseph DiGiovanni

He arrived on this earth, in the Bronx to be exact, on October 27, 1927 and was named Lawrence Joseph DiGiovanni. His early years were difficult, his parents leaving him to be raised by his grandparents during the trying years of The Great Depression, but he found a family among his young uncles. His grandmother was his shining star, giving him love and stability. He and grandma went everywhere; she took him to the movies and on outings and when a he bought a car at 15 (without a license) he drove her wherever she needed to be. He always spoke fondly of his time with her.

When America entered WWII and all his uncles had been drafted, Larry lied about his age, was inducted into the Navy at age 16, and was promptly shipped off to the Pacific. When the Navy discovered his age, he was assigned “safe” duty, such as landing troops, manning artillery, and being auxiliary helmsman during battles. When the war ended, he transported decommissioned naval vessels from Florida to Virginia.

Back in the Bronx he met Lucille, his future wife, after an argument over a subway seat. They married in 1949 and argued for the next 73 years and 7 months as husband and wife. In the 1950’s they started a family, Linda and Larry. After the family came the usual, the house on Long Island with a backyard and pool, the car, the dog—always a Dobermann—and every Sunday there were family dinners with all the trimmings and every relative that could make it.

With the new house came a new job as construction foreman at K & D Door and Frame Company. All seemed to be going well when tragedy struck, a truckload of doors fell on Larry, crushing much of his body. After operations and a long time in a body cast, he did recover, and, despite suffering pain for much of his life, he continued on.

The family grew and there were marriages, grandchildren—Keith and Steven—and five great grandchildren—Brandon, Ethan, Avery, Riley, and Piper. He and Lucille spent much time in their later years taking cruises, back on the sea again.

In 2023, his beloved Lucille passed away, leaving him alone and sad. His fondest wish this past year was that he could be together with her and, on May 16, 2024, his wish was fulfilled. Now he and Lucille are rejoined, and will be arguing throughout eternity, just as they always did.