Lawrence H. Averill III passed away suddenly on September 5, 2016. He was born in Bethesda, Maryland on March 26, 1964. He grew up in Laramie, Wyoming where he played saxophone, and was a strong gymnast. In 1982 he won floor exercise in the state gymnastic tournament and helped Laramie win the team championship. He graduated from Laramie High School in 1982.
Larry spent a year in Japan as a Rotary Exchange Student and then attended the University of Arkansas where he majored in theater, received his B.A. in 1987, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He obtained a Master of Arts from the University of Arkansas in 1990 majoring in Acting and earning many awards for his talents.
Larry went on to The University of Texas at Austin, where he was working on his doctorate in theater history and criticism. He enjoyed teaching and acting and met his wife, Amanda, while working on a show at the university. They moved to Utah in 2000, settled in Salt Lake City, and were married in 2003. Larry remained in Salt Lake City until his death.
Larry loved animals and is deeply missed by his faithful dog, Carmel, and cat, Sheldon. He enjoyed going to the movies, watching The Simpsons, and was a voracious reader, his favorite books being science fiction. A smart man, Larry had a kind heart, and a great sense of humor, and is missed by all who knew him.
Larry is survived by his spouse, Amanda L. French, his parents, Lawrence H. Averill, Jr. and Suzanne M. Averill, his sister, Elizabeth [Averill] Tacik, brother-in-law, Eric Tacik, and niece, Morgan E. Tacik. He is deeply missed by his father-in-law Richard A. French, brother-in-law Daniel L. French, Sister-in-law Tiffany [Chong] French, nephew Ian French, niece Abby French, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins from both sides of the family.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that you make donations to CAWS (Community Animal Welfare Society) http://caws.org/html/donate.html, or Best Friends Animal Society https://secure.bestfriends.org/page/contribute/memory .
A memorial gathering will take placeMarch 26, 2017.
Funeral services provided by Larkin Mortuary, Salt Lake City. www.LarkinMortuary.com
