Lawrence D. Webster

Lawrence "Larry" Dale Webster, age 78, passed away peacefully on August 14, 2025, at his home with his loving wife Patsy by his side.

A lifelong resident of Charlestown, R.I., Larry was the devoted son of the late Andrew and Elsa (Schuster) Webster. He was the beloved husband of Patricia Anderson.

A 1965 senior class valedictorian from Chariho High School and a graduate of the University of Rhode Island in Mechanical Engineering, Larry's career spanned several decades as an engineer with Heidelberg Engineering.

But Larry's true calling and devotion was his passion for aviation. As a young boy, Larry's mom encouraged him to explore the many military crash sites that dotted South County. During World War II and for many years afterward, Rhode Island was home to several military flight training bases. In the course of this training, many pilots and planes were lost due to accidents.

Since his teens and until very recently, Larry dedicated himself to researching and documenting hundreds of these crash sites-not only in Rhode Island, but across the entire New England area. His expertise in identifying parts from downed military aircraft made him a foremost authority in this field. Only recently, the U.S. Navy contacted Larry to assist in the identification of a downed WWII fighter plane discovered off the coast of Massachusetts. He earned national recognition for his meticulous rebuilding of vintage aircraft using parts from wrecks he discovered.

Larry devoted many years to the Quonset Air Museum, of which he was one of the founders. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the Charlestown Naval Air Station memorial, which honors the 61 Naval Aviators who lost their lives while training at the base. He volunteered at the New England Air Museum at Bradley Field in Connecticut, where he tirelessly worked on restoring a WWII U.S. Navy Hellcat fighter plane.

Larry's most recent project was the restoration of a U.S. Navy F2H Banshee-one of only a few known to still exist. He was also an expert aircraft modeler, having created hundreds of detailed military aircraft models.

In 2004, Larry was named Aviation Historian of the Year by the Northeast Aero Historians and received a proclamation from the Governor of Rhode Island for "his many years of work advancing our knowledge and understanding of aviation in Rhode Island."

In 2013, in recognition of his contributions to aviation, Larry was inducted into the Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame.

Larry was a member of the New England Air Museum, the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, the American Aviation Historical Society, the International Plastic Modelers Society, and the Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame.

In addition to his loving wife Patricia, Larry is survived by his two brothers: Reginald Webster and his wife Marie of New Brunswick, Canada; and Douglas Webster and his wife Linda of Hudson, New Hampshire. Larry is also survived by his grandchildren Nicole, MacKenzie, and Sierra; great-grandchildren Violet, Olive, Laila, and Jackson; and nephews David, Eric, and Vincent Webster.

In accordance with Larry's wishes, calling hours are omitted. A private burial service will be held for immediate family only.

A celebration of Larry's life will be held at the Shannock Baptist Church, 1631 Shannock Rd, Charlestown, R.I., on September 6, 2025, at 1:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to the Shannock Baptist Church.