Lawrence Ladner

Lawrence Ladner

"You don't live life. Life lives you. Life is the dancer and you are the dance." Eckhart Tolle

Lawrence "Larry" Ladner - cherished brother, husband, father, grandfather, uncle, cousin and friend to so many - died at his home in Batavia, Illinois in the loving embrace of his wife Linda and family members on July 27, 2020 at the age of 72. Larry, who against all odds, beat acute leukemia 6 years ago after the miraculous gift of a stem cell transplant from his sister Adrienne and the exemplary care from his treatment team at Rush Hospital, died due to complications of graft-versus-host disease.

Larry, the son of Margaret and Joseph Ladner, was raised in Chicago with his siblings, Jerry and Adrienne. Larry loved prowling around the city on motorcycles with his buddies, playing practical jokes and was generally a menace.

He was an enthusiast of all modes of transportation in addition to motorcycles, including snow sleds, water skis, nice cars, go-karts and boats. Sailing on Lake Michigan with friends and family were some of his most treasured memories.

Some of his outstanding achievements include an epic snow tunnel dug during the Chicago Blizzard of '79, a giant Sears Tower replica built out of canned tomatoes, several high scores on Galaga and Centipede machines across Illinois, decades of hosting the best 4th of July parties and, at the age of 16, meeting the love of his life, Linda.

He and Linda later married and welcomed their children Christopher, Heidi and Michael into their family. The Ladner's moved to St. Charles in the early 80's, raising their children and seeing them off to the far reaches of the country. Chris and Heidi have long accepted that Mike was his favorite and he adored his daily phone calls with him.

His loving good nature made him a father figure to many as he was always there for advice, a short term loan, and an ear to listen. With nerves of steel and the patience of a saint, he taught many to drive. He sat calmly in the passenger seat as his daughter drove through a nail-biting (his one true and unapologetic vice) blizzard to get her official driver's license on her 16th birthday. He was known to bail more than one out of jail for the mistakes of youth.

He graduated from Loyola University, earning his CPA and worked as a commodity broker in Chicago and surrounding areas. Bring-your-kids-to-work day would always include the fantastical stop at the windows overlooking the utter chaos of the trading floor.

Although he found Excel spread sheets "calming", his real gift and pleasure in working was in the relationships with his clients and colleagues that spanned decades and were indeed true friendships.

In addition to his human family, some of his most treasured relationships were with his canine adoptees: Tootsie, Chloe, Catie, and Willie (8).

It is certain that if he were here, he would agree that his finest accomplishment and greatest joy was his grandchildren: Luke, Christina Rose, Kirsten, Kaia, Oliver and Clara. He was always the first adult in the pool. He excelled as a builder of Legos, reader of stories and pretendee in games of imagination. His pumpkin carving skills were unparalleled.

Larry, though gone too early for all, left the legacy of demonstrating the masterpiece of a life well lived - one of fun, deep personal relationships, and humor even when things seemed dire.

Given current global events, a Celebration of Life will be planned for a later date.

Any donations in his honor can be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital www.stjude.org or Anderson Animal Shelter www.andersonanimalshelter.org.