Lawrence Lee "Larry" Shelp Jr.

In loving memory, we celebrate the life of Lawrence "Larry" Lee Shelp, a devoted son, father, grandfather, brother, and friend. Larry was born on February 11, 1959, in Phoenix, Arizona, and left this world on January 2, 2025, in the warmth of his birthplace. He leaves behind a legacy of love, dedication, and an indelible passion for life and the art of fishing.
Larry lived a life enriched by learning and hard work. He graduated from Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor of Science in Radiology, marking the beginning of his diverse professional journey. Upon receiving his degree, Larry was one of the first people in the state of Arizona to work in an office doing CT scans. After that, he took on a career as a pharmaceutical sales representative with Sanofi-Winthrop for over 7 years.
He then took the opportunity to be a sales rep at his Father's company "Maverick Store Fixtures" and worked extensively with incredible local businesses such as Frys, Bashas, and Macayos. After the year 2000, Larry stayed in various sales roles until landing at the role of his dreams, which was to work in the fishing department at Cabelas. He worked there for a decade and received various awards and acknowledgements despite facing increasing health challenges.
Larry was married for 14 years to Cindy, who he had met in his 20s, and they loved to go out and dance. They had one son together and after becoming a father to Garrett, Larry found a whole new passion which was to make family memories. Larry loved to travel with his family to southern California, go to theme parks, eat coconut shrimp, and spend a day at the beach boogie boarding. Larry spent his best time with his son. As his Garrett grew up, Larry saw him through high school, to his first jobs, and off to college. Larry was most proud of him and always loved being with him. Larry loved to take photos and meticulously catalog vacations, birthdays, sporting events, and most prominently fishing trips.
More than anything and what he will always be known for is being an avid fisherman. Larry grew up and spent his life fishing in Arizona and could consistently be found at Bartlett Lake, Apache Lake, Saguaro Lake, and Lake Pleasant. He would love catching any and all kinds of fish, and was keen on learning what each species of fish would be eager to bite. His array of fishing equipment and tackle was immense, pristine, and deeply organized. He was so glad to have had a son so as to have a permanent fishing buddy and before Garrett could ever speak a word, he had already caught a Blue Gill. Larry deeply enjoyed Arizona fishing, especially going up to Northern Arizona where he would try and land some Brown Trout or even Pike in Pine Top, Greer or Lake Mary. He would get a hotel just to store his fish on ice in the bathtub. Larry loved fishing so much that most of his travels in life revolved around fishing trips. He went to Alaska to catch salmon and had the time of his life up there seeing grizzlies and landing huge sockeye. He would annually go on chartered trips out of San Diego and into Mexico to catch Yellow Tail or massive Blue-Fin Tuna. All of Larry's closest friends were the wonderful people he would fish with, and he made sure that when they were with him that they caught a fish. Larry loved his friends dearly and his fishing buddies were the center of the great stories he told and the source of his happiest times.
When Larry was asked by his permanent fishing buddy what he would want the grandkids and future generations of Shelps to know about him, he said these exact words: "I want them to know I was faithful to my religion and that I was an honest man, even though I loved to fish."
Larry was predeceased by his father, Lawrence Shelp Sr.; his mother, Josephine Shelp; and his brother Jay Shelp. He is survived by his loving son, Garrett Shelp; sister, Judith Brittan; brother, Gary Shelp; daughter-in-law, Lindsey Shelp; granddaughter, Thea Shelp; and grandson, Jack Lawrence Shelp. Larry's family was the cornerstone of his world, and his devotion to them was unwavering.
Larry's family, friends, and fishing companions will fondly remember him for his integrity, honesty, and faithfulness. His legacy of joy, laughter, and love for the simple pleasures in life – most notably, being surrounded by family on a fishing boat – will be cherished forever.
A memorial service to honor Larry's memory will be held at the Regency Mortuary, located at 9850 W. Thunderbird Blvd., Sun City, AZ, on February 20, 2025, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. All who knew and loved Larry are invited to join in this celebration of his remarkable life.