Lawrence C. “Larry” Vera

Fort Myers, Fla .– Lawrence C. “Larry” Vera, 88, of Fort Myers, Fla. And formerly of Fairhaven and Shrewsbury, Mass., Passed away on Tuesday, November 23, 2021 at Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers surrounded by her loving family.

Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts on April 23, 1933, he was the son of Charles and Mary (Lawrence) Vera. He was predeceased by his wife of 48, Elizabeth (Walsh) Vera and his son-in-law, Joseph M. Vincent.

Larry is survived by his children, daughter Patricia L. Tassone and husband James of New Berlin, Wisconsin, daughter Carol A. Vincent and partner Leonard White of Dracut, Massachusetts and son Steven L. Vera and his wife Kim of Willington, Connecticut. He is also survived by his sister Vivian Page of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Larry’s pride and joys in life were his grandchildren – Larissa Vincent, Jonathan Tassone, Jason Tassone, Greta (Vincent) Kennedy, Luke Vincent, Hannah Vincent, Kaeley Vera and Nicholas Vera. He was also blessed with six wonderful great-grandchildren – Aiden, Isaac, Brynn, Cormac, Vincent and Briella. He was fortunate to have a wonderful companion, Donna Bray of Fort Myers, during the last years of his life.

After graduating from New Bedford High School in 1951, Larry enlisted in the United States Navy for four years to achieve the rank of Petty Officer First Class and continued his service with an additional 23 years in the Naval Reserve. . He was also an active member of the American Legion until his death.

He retired from HP Hood & Sons in 1996 after a long career as a salesperson in the food industry.

Larry was active in youth sports while living in Shrewsbury as a longtime coach and former board member of the Shrewsbury Youth Hockey Association and founding member of Shrewsbury Youth Soccer in the early 1980s. Upon retirement, Larry joined his longtime friend John Brennan as an assistant coach for the college football teams at Fairhaven and Westport high schools.

Larry moved to Fort Myers in 2004 after his wife passed away and had so many wonderful friends – his golf buddies at Myerlee Country Club and his friends in Jamaica Bay where he lived. He played golf twice a week until his death and played 18 holes on the day of his accident. He was very proud of his hole-in-one at the age of 87 in November 2020. He loved his “TV frenzy” with Donna and the time he spent with her at dances or other events within of their community. He loved living in Southwest Florida and was proud to welcome his family during the fall and winter months. He then headed north to spend the summer on the West Island in Fairhaven, Massachusetts with his family and also visited his family in Wisconsin.

Larry traveled extensively during his retirement. He enjoyed attending the meetings of his warship (USS Huse – DE 145) which took him to New Orleans, Savannah, Jacksonville and Branson for several years. He also traveled abroad, visiting Portugal (Azores – where his family was from), China, Italy, Greece, Croatia, and sailed to the US Virgin Islands.

His visit will be on Thursday, December 2 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Funeral Home, 50 County Road, Route 6, Mattapoisett, Massachusetts. Her funeral will be celebrated on Friday, December 3 at 10 a.m. at St. Mary’s Church, 440 Main Street, Fairhaven, Massachusetts. Interment will take place in private. Masks will be required for all during visitation and funeral. The family are also planning to host a celebration of Larry’s life in Fort Myers at a later date. For directions and the online guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.