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Lawrence Olbright Obituary

LAWRENCE D. OLBRIGHT (LARRY) Larry died November 4, at the age of 73 in Portland, Oregon. He had very recently been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and was undergoing treatment at Providence St. Vincent's Hospital in Portland. He passed away in his sleep with much of his family at his hospital bedside. Larry was born in Cleveland, Ohio and moved with his parents Edwin and Helen Olbright, and his siblings Diane and David, to Riverside, California in 1957. He graduated from Riverside Polytechnic H.S. and went on to graduate from Cal Poly, Pomona with a degree in Chemistry. Larry or "Lar" as he was often called, had many passions including volleyball, golf and fixing just about anything that was broken, but his real passion became flying. After college he joined the Air Force and following pilot training was sent to Vietnam. He was stationed in Saigon and flew C-130's from 1965 - 1967. He was then transferred to Travis Air Base in California from 1967 - 1969, flying C-141's carrying our troops to and from Vietnam. After his service in the U.S. Air Force, Larry joined Western Airlines, later acquired by Delta. He flew national and international flights (1972 - 2001) until his retirement from Delta in 2001 as a Captain. He leaves behind a loving wife, Patty (Sharp) Olbright, and two adoring children, his son Jason (wife Amy) and his daughter Eve (husband, Brad), as well as four grandchildren. He was an extraordinary husband, father, brother and grandfather and a steadfast friend to many. There will be a private service in Portland at the Willamette National Cemetery on November 20th and a family remembrance in Orange, California in 2016.

Published by The Press-Enterprise on Nov. 20, 2015.
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Memories and Condolences
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What a shock to find this page on a Google search for old classmates of fifty years ago. I flew C-123s with Larry in the 19th ACS in Tan Son Nhut AB in Vietnam. We shared a villa with five others in Saigon; and the two of us went on three different R&Rs together to Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Sidney. It was good to think that our paths would cross again, but sadly, that is not to be. I will miss him. My condolences to his family.

Jeff Dauler

August 28, 2016

I would like to send you my warmest thoughts and prayers. I flew with Larry many times here in Salt Lake City and have very good memories of my trips with him. I always looked forward to seeing his name on my schedule. All my best to his entire family... I know his warm heart touched many people.

Mark Graney

January 29, 2016

My condolences to his family. Larry was a humorous person at Poly High, whom I enjoyed very much. After graduation we both went to Cal Poly, Pomona. Some weekends we would ride share back to Riverside. I recall his mom as being one of the nicest ladies that I ever met.

Wayne Stowe

November 22, 2015

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