Laurence L. Dunlap, Jr.

The world lost a small treasure on July 8th.
The kind of man that gave the Greatest Generation it's name. A man of dignity and honor, who believed that his word was his bond, and his handshake was a firm contract. He served his country in WWII, a heartbreak he rarely spoke of. He graduated from Oklahoma University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and was a proud OU alum and fan. Larry was a kind and loving father, grandfather, and great grandfather. But most of all, a devoted and adoring husband, for 64 years, to his beloved Betty (1925-2011). They were married on December 23, 1947, during his Christmas break from OU. When Betty became so disabled with Alzheimers, Larry got up at 4:22 AM each day to prepare himself and be there when she woke up, then spent the day with her, until she went to bed at sundown. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. He said when she left, his joy left with her. It has been said that they were truly the kind of couple that The Notebook was written about. They blessed their children with a nearly idyllic childhood. Papa (Larry) was up with the sun, and on weekends, and after retirement when the grands were there, he would put on coffee (always coffee) and make yummy buttery southern bicuits.. AND then put John Phillip Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever (marching band style) turned up loud enough (first hand accounts say it was VERY LOUD) to rouse even teenagers to come down for hot biscuits! He loved camping and fishing. He loved football with a passion and was a devoted fan of the Broncos, having family season tickets, on the 45 yd line, since 1964.
First camping in a tent, then a trailer, he decided that the family needed something more permanent so, being an engineer he designed a cabin to be built near Breckenridge. The structure he envisioned was a small cabin, approximetly 2,000 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, and was designed to hold 21 foot of snow on the roof and might have been just slightly overbuilt. Over the course of the next 2 summers, the family, and some friends, built the cabin to it's completion. It has become a place where so many good and loving family memories have been made, the epicenter of some of his grandchildren's childhoods. So many special and wonderful shared times have happened there.  This cabin was one of his proudest achievements. This is the place that his grandson-in-law chose to propose to his youngest granddaughter, because he knew it was the dearest place to her heart. We don't know if they thought they were building a legacy as we were pounding the nails and pouring the concrete for that structure, but they surely did. Each step was built with love. For these, and so many more reasons, today and going forward, Papa (Larry), you will be dearly missed.
Larry is preceded in death by his wife, Betty, and his grandsons Christiaan Laurence Leigh Dunlap and Thomas Patrick Dunlap.
Larry is survived by his three children: Nancy Johnson (Milo); Laurence Michael (Barbara); Thomas Patrick (Trish); and his grandchildren:Tyson Neuens (Heather); Corey Neuens; Shannon Dunlap; Caitlin Kingsbury (Cole); Kim Tuffield; Jon Dunlap (James Hunt) and Andrew Dunlap.
Also, his great grandchildren: Caroleina Neuens; Terren Neuens; Amelia Tuffield; and Cade Christiaan Kingsbury. As well as by his step grandchildren; Michael, Christie and Daniel Johnson; and step great grandchildren: Ana and Gerald Riddle.