Larry Meyers’ life finally set with the sun on the evening of September 7, 2024. He spent the entire day holding the hand of his loving wife Anne, and listening to his favorite music before he passed away peacefully in West Seattle, WA.
Born on September 21, 1943 in Oakland, CA and raised in Oakland, Larry demonstrated leadership at an early age when he became the student body president and head yell-leader at Oakland Tech in 1961. He spent much of his life, nearly 40 years in Orinda, CA, where he and his wife, Anne, raised their three children and built a life filled with love, laughter, and of course plenty of time for play and adventure.
A proud graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, Larry was a diehard Golden Bears fan. His dedication to team spirit was legendary, and he was known to arrange his weekend schedules around coaching or cheering on his children’s sports teams to then running over the hill to Berkeley for game days at Memorial Stadium or Harmon Pavilion.
Beyond bleeding Blue and Gold, Larry had a deep love for folk music. Peter, Paul and Mary, The Kingston Trio, and Bob Dylan were always playing in the background of his life. He could often be found strumming his guitar to “Where have all the Flowers Gone?” or “Blowing in the Wind,” introducing his kids and their friends to the heartfelt lyrics and harmonies of the folk music that shaped his generation during the Bay Area in the 1960’s. His children fondly remember long evenings around the fire at their Pine Mountain Lake family getaway “cabin” with Dad’s voice harmonizing with whoever wanted to join in, making sure they knew all the words to Puff, the Magic Dragon by heart before the weekend was over.
Larry also had a passion for competition beyond just supporting his Cal Bears. Many willremember him for his horseshoe, billiard, and dominoes skills, but where he really left an impact was with the youth of his community in Orinda. He spent countless hours coaching and cheering at his kids’ games and swim meets. He could be heard from FAR away with a tambourine in hand and he painted signs of encouragement often sprinkled with a style of humor that was unique to Larry. Perhaps his creative efforts to lighten the mood were not always pc, but the laughter that he spread was often hilarious and taught many the importance of having fun.
Larry’s professional interests started with a degree in Architecture from CAL in 1968. His career began with the Bechtel Corp. in San Francisco, followed by 10 years with Turner Construction in Los Angeles and then San Francisco. He spent the final 30 years of his career focused on commercial concrete construction projects with The Conco Companies, where he made significant contributions over his long tenure working on a variety of projects. He formed many lasting relationships while at the Conco Companies over the years and was very proud of the many successful projects that he and his teams executed.
You could not travel through Oakland, San Francisco, or other Bay Area cityscapes without him telling you something interesting about the skyline in front of you. He could even make a conversation about parking garages interesting with explanations about ‘drop caps’ and ‘post tension slabs’; the walk from the carto the elevator was never boring. While working at both Turner and The Conco Companies, Larry assisted in opening up new offices in Seattle. In retirement, Larry and Anne moved to Vashon, WA in 2013.
Prior to graduating from CAL, Larry hitchhiked for 6 months all over Europe. That experience cemented his lifetime love of travel and luckily for him, his wife Anne, also enjoyed traveling with him, hand in hand, exploring cultures, marveling at the built environments, and most of all, finding peace in nature. Some of their favorite adventures together were canoeing the Bowran Lakes in Canada, riding bikes in New England, drinking beer and playing guitar in Austria, and of course their numerous trips to Yosemite. Although Yosemite did not have the colorful autumn leaves of New England that Larry admired deeply, Larry’s true happy place in this world was unquestionably the Yosemite Valley.
Larry is survived by his loving wife & soul mate of 55 years, Anne Helen Meyers of Vashon, WA; his children, Scott Christopher Meyers (Laura) of Maple Valley, WA, Ryan Lawrence Meyers (Caterina) of Carmel Valley, CA, and Kimberly Anne Meyers Stearns (Carolyn) of Vashon, WA. He also leaves behind his brother, Rolland Alan Meyers of Oakland, CA, and his adored grandchildren, Anna Lee Meyers, Shelby Brooks Meyers, Milena Tenaya Meyers, Millicent Jasper Stearns, and Weston Oliver Meyers. Larry was preceded in death by his parents, Earl Urias Meyers and Mildred Annamarie Meyers.
A celebration of life is scheduled in October at Trader Vic’s in Emeryville, CA, followed by a family gathering at their “ Cabin” that Larry designed and built, on Pine Mountain Lake near Yosemite.
September 21, 1943 – September 7, 2024
