Larry Sumaya Obituary - Death Notice and Service Information

LOCATION

New York, New York

The Ski Club Ambassador
Larry Sumaya's friends and family had a lot of names for him. Like Phil, short for Filipino, his ethnicity. Or Horatio, because Hilario was the first name on his birth certificate. Or Gooch and Clem, for reasons no one can quite recall.

Then there was, um, Christie. He got that one after showing up on the slopes wearing a black-and-pink skiing outfit. Unfortunately for Mr. Sumaya, the color scheme was a tad too unisex. "There was a nice-looking girl wearing the same jacket," said Bob Sitar, a friend and fellow member of Mr. Sumaya's ski club. "It was pretty funny, and we teased him about it."

But the good-natured Mr. Sumaya, 42, took the kidding in stride, always ready to tackle the steep fast curves of the mountain, the rolling greens of the golf course, the waves of the Jersey Shore, the social currents of big-city bachelor life. "He was always smiling, very outgoing," said his sister Charito LeBlanc.

Mrs. LeBlanc and her husband, Joseph, miss him the most on Sundays, because that was the day Mr. Sumaya would spend time at their home near his in Staten Island, watching sports, smoking a cigar in the backyard, firing up the barbecue.

Mr. Sumaya, a technology manager at Marsh & McLennan, liked to talk politics and knew how to press home a point. "He was tough to argue with," said another friend, Tom Todaro. But he was also slow to anger, and played the ambassador in his ski club, putting newcomers at ease.

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I met Larry Sumaya through the SnowFlyers ski club in NYC. I was new to the club and we started talking at one of the cocktail gatherings they held before the ski season began. He was a great ambassador for the club - very outgoing and welcoming. We both lived on Staten Island, so on the first trip I took with the club, Larry picked me up at my apartment and drove us to the airport. Then he skied with me the next morning on the mountain. We laughed about my old skis on the chair lift - a...

Sarah Lyons

September 05, 2021 | New York, NY | Friend

Larry you are not forgotten. 14 years later and you are still remembered as a fun-loving, laughing, adventurous person. I hope you are still conquering those slopes in the sky!

Penni Kessler

September 11, 2015 | Mamaroneck, NY

As I cross-stitched your name on the memorial that I am doing for all of the victims, I prayed for you and your family. Please know that your death was not in vain. We will always remember. God Bless.

kristine

August 04, 2008 | Lansing, MI

In remembrance....

P Tabbernor

March 25, 2007 | Victoria, BC

Larry was our neighbor and although I didn't know him well, we remember him every year with a candle lighting ceremony outside his home. Our prayers are with his family and friends today. God Bless You All.

Debbie Botie

September 11, 2005 | Staten Island, NY

I only met Larry once, at a ski club social event. I was relatively new to the group and only knew a few people there that day. Larry sat next to me at lunch and we chatted. I liked him immediately. He asked me lots and lots of questions about myself, my hobbies, my life...and he genuinely sounded interested in my responses. I had to leave the group a bit early and Larry said he was sorry to see me go, as he had such a nice time talking with me. As a newcomer to the group, his comment made me...

Mich Nelson

September 11, 2003 | Brooklyn, NY

To the family of Larry Sumaya
I'am sorry for your loss.My borther
and I are both firefighters.I work
for Kings County,my bother David Sumaya works for the City of Hanford.We both deal with tragedy a on daily basis. We just like to express our deepest synpathy.

Gabriel Sumaya

September 12, 2002 | Hanford, CA

On Wednesday 9-11-02 the world will pay tribute to all victims of the attacks on 9-11-01. A "Rolling Requiem" will be sung in all time zones of the world. I live in Hawaii and am apart of the chorus that will start singing Mozart's Requiem at 8:46 am on Wed 9-11-02. All singers were given a badge with a victim's name on it, I was honored to select your name. It is my honor to sing this Requiem in your name and to tell the world that we will never forget you. May your family and freinds who...

Kerry Feato

September 09, 2002 | Volcano, HI

Larry and I were friends for a very long time... 20 years? I can't even count the number of times that he, I, and Joe V. hung out together (we had trouble getting dates, but that's another story!) Bar-hopping, ballgames, vacations, the Shore... you name it.

Larry was also my usual golfing partner, and although neither one of us was very good, we always had fun, even on the "hell holes" where our scores got pretty embarassing. And we sure got paired up with some interesting...

Tom Todaro

August 26, 2002 | Middletown, NJ

Larry Sumaya

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