Larry Pierlot

August 21, 1935 – March 7, 2022 

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear father, Larry Walter Pierlot. He may have left this Earth, but his soul, spirit and legacy will live on. His family was dear to him. Larry is survived by siblings Yvonne Watts, Lorne Pierlot, Brenda (Ron) Buffel and Blaine (Colleen) Pierlot. Larry is also survived by his children Nola Pierlot, Evan “Butch” (Michelle) Pierlot, Charlene Barabanoff, and Michael (Joan) Pierlot. Predeceased siblings are Don Pierlot, Robert “Bud” Pierlot, and Garry “Gibby” Pierlot. Also predeceased are beloved wife Carol Marie Pierlot, daughter Marla Joan Fradette and her husband Philip Fradette, grandchildren Ginnelle (Marla) Fradette and Dustin (Butch) Pierlot. Also surviving Larry are many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. From Nola, Nathan Loiselle, Elicia Loiselle (Nishad Khanna) and their child Ada Loiselle-Khanna, and Devon (Carolyn) Loiselle and their kids Dash and Dex. From Butch, Dustin Evan Pierlot and his kids Sierra Victoria Pierlot and Taylor Patricia Pierlot, and Kristal Dawn (Jarrod) Adams and their kids Hayley Michelle Pierlot, Kynzie Raine Adams and Jet Jarrod Adams. From Charlene, Jennifer Marie (Erik) Ammar and their kids Eric Rami Ammar, Alex Adnan Ammar and Reign Angeles Soriano and Danielle Robyn Barabanoff and her kids Riley Connor Barabanoff, Austin Haven Barabanoff, Kane Mason Barabanoff and Onyx Paul Gulayel. From Marla, Chad Fradette (fiancee Amanda Marshall) and his son Dante Brown, and Kaitlyn Fradette (Tony Dalman) and their kids Miles Dalman and Dexter Dalman. From Mike, Cole Samuel Pierlot. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to your charity of choice. 

To celebrate Larry’s life, those who would like to join our Zoom meeting are welcome to do so. It will be at 4 pm Saskatchewan time on March 26th. You can share your favorite story about Larry. Please enter your full name when you join so we can identify you. The link to the call is: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86976895441

If you knew Larry at all, you knew he had a wry sense of humor and loved to tell a story. His character seemed infectious as he made friends wherever he went, and people always knew Larry. When he moved to the Bentley, it didn’t take long before everyone knew him and everyone had nothing but good things to say about him. Even during his short stay at Central Haven, he made an impact on people. One resident in particular was quite concerned for Larry and how quickly it seemed his condition was worsening. He got to know all the nurses that looked after his wife, Carol when she was going through hemodialysis. He even went so far as to build a playhouse for the kids of one of the nurses. Larry was like that. He would give the shirt off his back to anyone who needed it. If you needed money, he would give it to you. 

There was nothing more important to Larry than family. He worked very hard to provide for his 5 children. He worked as an Electrician for many years. He and son, Butch ran a successful electrical contracting company which still runs today – Hub City Electrical. Larry’s son, Mike joined the fold for a time before moving on to a different career. There was nothing Larry couldn’t do, or was afraid of doing. Not only was he an electrician, but really a jack of all trades. He transformed a simple bungalow house into a beautiful place with a stone fireplace in an extended living room, adding a car port, garage, covered patio and literally almost completely rebuilt the place. He could do plumbing, woodwork, cabinetry, brick work, foundations, auto mechanics and the list goes on. Larry could be considered an inventor. He came up with so many neat gadgets and things that made his life easier, even creating like a nurse call system so that Carol could call for him if she needed something. He had home hemodialysis put in so that Carol didn’t have to go to the hospital so often, which meant learning how to operate the machine. These treatments went on for years. Larry often spent sleepless nights watching to make sure the treatment was going smoothly. There was nothing Larry wouldn’t do for Carol. They were attached at the hip and did everything together. Larry wasn’t even afraid of public speaking. He was more than happy to stand in front of a bunch of strangers and talk about his experience with Carol and what he went through while treating her, and the loss he suffered when she passed. This was a gathering put on at St Paul’s Hospital where Carol was treated. The microphone wasn’t working and it was difficult to hear the speakers. Larry went up to the stand, cleared his throat, and belted out his speech. Everyone all the way to the back could hear him. 

Larry was born in a farmhouse in Saskatchewan. It was the mid-thirties and times were tough. Larry has many interesting stories about his life growing up, which is included here on the site as a separate link. You are encouraged to read it. There are some very interesting stories there. Larry’s work ethic and diverse skill set was borne from his life on the farm. You will never find anyone who worked harder than he did. Perhaps that’s why he went out the way he did. He no longer had the love of his life to care for, and the only thing keeping him going was the fact that he was strong-willed and good hearted and cared for his remaining family. The family suffered some unfortunate losses recently which really upset him. Grandson Dustin passed away in October of 2020, and more recently daughter, Marla passed away of kidney disease and other complications in October of 2021, and in February 2022, Marla’s husband, Philip passed away. These losses deeply affected Larry and he was powerless to help. He could not travel, and with COVID restrictions, visiting was difficult. 

Since Carol had passed, Larry was now free to travel and see his family in Salmon Arm, BC. They were putting on a memorial for brother, Gib. Larry dearly wanted to go, but needed someone to go with him as he needed a little help getting around. Larry’s son, Mike’s wife, Joan volunteered to go. (Mike couldn’t make it due to work commitments). As it turns out, this worked out very well. Larry had a great time with his family and Joan really got to know the family better. These are memories that Larry cherished as it was his last trip and last time seeing these members of his family. 

Larry passed away peacefully in his sleep. 

Notes from the Kids 

From Nola: 

Dear Dad, 

In the scheme of things I would consider myself fortunate to have had a wonderful caring, loving, honest and best friend in you, my Dad! From my perspective having now been a parent, you were what I wanted to be for my children. I could tell countless stories about my life and the interactions I had with you, Dad. The happy times: sitting in your lap behind the wheel of our family vehicle “driving” the narrow paths around Spring Lake where we spent many a summer taking swimming lessons with all the cousins from Mom’s side of the family. It was important to you that I knew how to change the oil in my car. You and Mom taking me to a theatre to see Wuthering Heights. Watching hockey each Saturday night and of course I would go for the team you weren’t going for (you would accuse me of doing so but I wouldn’t let you know the truth) it was fun and our joke!! 

Just being able to talk to you about anything, and we had our intense conversations about such things as the church, religion and politics! In a few words I would say you were always there when I needed you without judgement. Of course with all relationships. we had our disagreements and intense arguments but we would always be friends through thick and thin. 

You will always be in my heart and thoughts Dad. 

Love Nola 

From Butch: 

One thing that stood out about dad was that he was an amazing artist. He used to draw cartoons on seismic recording paper when he was doing seismic work. 

From Charlene: 

One afternoon dad decided to make some mushroom soup. Well when I went to the kitchen I noticed a container of cream on the counter. I asked dad why the cream was on the counter. He replied, “I don’t know”. I asked him how his soup tasted. He said, “not too good”. I said really. I said may be you got the cream mixed up for milk. He replied, “I wouldn’t do that”. I said, “really, dad?” and I showed him that the milk hadn’t been opened yet. He couldn’t believe he did that. I suggested to throw it out. “Throw it out?? You know I do not waste.” I said, “ok then”. I sat at the table with him but I couldn’t stop laughing. I got the look from dad that told me he didn’t think it was funny. So I made my exit. But later like always we both had a good laugh. I loved his sense of humor. I miss him so much. 

From Mike: 

What makes me the most sad is that dad can’t be here to see the outpouring of support and love for him that we all have. As much as I knew that dad had just days to live, the call from the home that I had been dreading left me trembling with the finality of it. It was over. There was no going back. No more visits. Every time we went to see him, all he wanted to do was make small talk, as if everything was normal. He would ask, “Anything new going on”, or “What’s happening in Ukraine? That Putin still alive?” We struggled even to understand what he was saying. 

As much as one prepares for this, you don’t know what it’s like until you get that call. And then you immediately feel regret for things you could have done better. One thing I don’t regret, though is our last visit with dad, which was his last day alive. It just so happened that Uncle Lorne called while we were there. We answered and had a conversation on speaker phone with him. Some of the stories Lorne told dad put a smile on his face. He was talking about life at a home and how you don’t dare try and change tables at the dining room, or you become something that Lorne couldn’t put the words to. Dad, in his seriously weakened state, said “pariah”. As weak as he was physically, his mind was still sharp as a tack. I can’t help but think that having that conversation with Uncle Lorne put his mind at ease, and that he could then let himself go. Uncle Lorne and dad were very close growing up, and very close in age. 

My dad set a benchmark to which I will always compare myself. He had a strong work ethic and cared deeply for his family. Just as mom and dad were always together, myself and my wife, Joan do everything together. Dad never stopped working. If he wasn’t in his basement office doing electrical estimating, he was doing something with the house, and I was there helping him and learning all these trades. On summer holidays he took me to work with him and I learned how to swear like a sailor while working among other tradesmen. 

Dad had a great sense of humor and was a practical joker. I remember when I was about 5 and Butch would have been 15. Dad was wise to the fact that Butch was smoking in the basement bathroom. So dad, loving a great opportunity to put it over on someone, secretly installed a hidden smoke detector in the bathroom. The rest of us knew what was going on and waited with great anticipation when Butch went to the bathroom. Then we heard the alarm and I had never seen Butch move so fast in his life! He ran out of there like a jack rabbit with its butt on fire! 

Joan and I hosted many dinners at our house, and mom and dad loved the food. It was a great pleasure and privilege to have them over as it seemed like one of the few pleasures that mom could enjoy, being ill with kidney failure. Dad would wheel her in to the yard in her wheelchair, going over some bumps and mom would go “Oh Larry!!” as she didn’t like the bumpy ride. Dad would just laugh. They were quite the pair. 

When it came time to move dad out of the house, as it was obvious he couldn’t stay there anymore, we spent almost the entire summer getting his stuff out of there. Dad never threw anything away, much like his dad. When he moved into the Bentley, he had to have some of his hand and power tools. He just couldn’t be without some tools around. He actually fashioned a system of putting extra pressure on the wheels of his walker out of hacksaw blades used for springs, and wood and felt. He was quite ingenious and resourceful. 

From the time he moved to the Bentley, he needed a lot of help. He could no longer drive and had trouble getting around, more and more as time went on. I felt it a privilege to be the one to drive him around to his appointments and bring him things like chocolate. He loved chocolate. It just had to be sugar free chocolate. 

Dad, I miss you so much. I love you. May you rest in peace, and be with mom forever. 

The Pierlot Family Saga – 1930-1950