Larry Shehadey

TOGETHER AGAIN WITH ELAYNE Larry A. Shehadey died peacefully surrounded by his family at St. Agnes Hospital, on Saturday, October 10, 2009, at the age of 102. We will miss his strength and love but have peace knowing he and his wife of over 63 years, Elayne N. Shehadey, are together in the arms of their Lord. Larry will be deeply missed by the entire community for his generosity and goodwill. He was born on July 2, 1907, in the foothills of Northern California. He learned the virtues of sacrifice, hard work, and Christian values from his mother, Sadie, and father, Salem, both Lebanese immigrants. He never missed a day of school even though it was 5 miles away on a dirt road, which he traveled by horseback or on foot. His family later moved to San Francisco where he graduated from Polytechnic High and excelled in athletics. Larry and Elayne moved their family to Fresno in 1951, after purchasing an interest in Producers Dairy. Through hard work and creative marketing (utilizing Hopalong Cassidy) Larry brought Producers from just one of over 70 dairies to the most outstanding dairy in the valley. He had no college education, yet he developed his own vertical integration system, starting his own dairy herd and adding acreage to grow alfalfa to feed his herd. He was always open to new ideas. As a child of the depression, his goal was always to provide well for his family and to leave a legacy for them. In addition to his involvement in numerous community organizations, Larry gave strength and encouragement to his sons. Having come from humble beginnings, it gave him joy to give back to the community which had been so good to him. His community gifts were many and generous. He loved being with people and rarely declined an invitation, even into his late 90's. His life was his family and the dairy and he demanded excellence of both. He was blessed with excellent health, unending energy, an inquiring mind and enthusiasm for whatever was presented to him. The family is grateful for the excellent and loving care given by Anjaleoni Enterprises and Dr. S.P. Dhillon. He is survived by his two sons, John and his wife Mary, and Richard and his wife Sue; as well as his grandchildren, Kevin, Steve, Jim, Tom, Ritchie, Scott, Nancy and Brett. He is also survived by 18 great grandchildren; and two nephews, George Cunningham and his wife Sylvia and Chuck Cunningham and his wife, Anne. Visitation will be held at Whitehurst, Sullivan, Burns & Blair Funeral Home, on Wednesday, October 14, 2009, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. A Funeral Service will be held at The Peoples Church, 7172 N. Cedar, on Thursday, October 15, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow at Belmont Memorial Park. Remembrances may be made to St. Agnes Hospital Foundation, Fresno Community Hospital or Childrens Hospital of Central California. WHITEHURST Sullivan, Burns & Blair Funeral Home 1525 East Saginaw Way Fresno,Ca.(559)227-4048