Claborn, Larry Dwight

April 5, 1934 - September 18, 2024

Larry Dwight Claborn passed peacefully and went to be with his heavenly Father on September 18, 2024. He was surrounded by loved ones as he was welcomed into the arms of Jesus. Larry lived a life of selfless service to others and a life full of purpose. He will always be remembered as a gentle-spirited, giant of a man with a quiet unassuming manner that drew people to him. Born on April 5, 1934 in Overton, Texas to Clyde and Austice Claborn, Larry moved often as a child before graduating from high school in Troup, Texas in 1952. He earned his undergraduate degree at Abilene Christian University, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University, and his master's degree at Baylor College of Medicine. Larry worked briefly in a private practice in Conroe, Texas before leaving to follow his true calling to be a professor of veterinary medicine. For forty years, he was a professor of Physiology and Pharmacology at Texas A&M University where he dedicated his life to teaching, influenced the lives of countless young students, and retired as Professor Emeritus. He received many distinguished awards at the College and University level including the Association of Former Students Teaching Award, TVMA Faculty Teaching Award, and the Association of Former Students distinguished teaching award. He will be remembered as a caring role model by many of his former students whose lives he impacted. He set high standards for his students and would go above and beyond to help students succeed. Aside from teaching his students, Larry was a deeply-devoted family man who treasured and embraced his role as husband, father, and grandfather. His compassionate nature created a loving home full of faith, kindness, generosity, and wisdom. His commitment to his family and serving others left an unforgettable impact on his community and everyone he met. Larry's faith guided him throughout his life and as a member of the A&M Church of Christ he served as Deacon and Elder. He was an avid reader, a master woodworker, and considered himself a mediocre fly fisherman and golfer. More than anything, "Papa" or "Uncle Larry" as he was affectionately called, cherished sharing stories and being around the people he loved.

Larry is survived by his wife of 57 years Ann Higgins Claborn. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother James. He also leaves behind his sister Geraldine Cochran, sister Vicki Parks, his four sons, Matt Claborn (and wife Tara), Brandon Claborn (and wife Lisa), Michael Claborn (and wife Jan), and Neal Claborn (and wife Laura), along with seven grandchildren (Logan, Caleb, Conner, Nathan, Alyssa, Meghan, and Allie).

A Celebration of Life service will be held on October 5 at 2:00 p.m. at Northview Church of Christ located at 2615 Amity Hill Rd, Statesville, NC 28677. In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made in Larry's honor to Live Beyond at livebeyond.org or Hospice & Palliative Care of Iredell County at aaps.hoic.org.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Bryan-College Station Eagle on Sep. 22, 2024.

Memories and Condolences
for Larry Claborn

5 Entries

Melody Gayle

October 24, 2024

Larry was a WONDERFUL man! Lelve and I have always cherished our friendship with you Ann! You were always VERY special in our lives--as were your boys! I'm sorry this is late, but I was sick at the time of Larry's passing. I hope Lelve and Larry are catching up on old times. Love you forever! I will see you in Heaven!

Sherry Sellers Vinson

September 30, 2024

Although not biologically kin to us, Larry was truly "Uncle Larry" to me and my younger siblings, Sandy Sellers Cawley and Rob Sellers. Being 10 years younger than our parents, he was the guy just old enough to hold our respect as a wise counseling adult but young enough to be "cool" in our eyes. We loved it when he'd surprisingly arrive at our house at night after coming back from checking on a sick farm animal outside Conroe, TX. His arrival meant hearing fun stories, him teaching us how to make such recipes as peanut butter and chocolate fudge, and him entertaining us so that Mother could make chocolate sheath cake--something she wouldn't have done on a routine week night since Daddy needed to finish accounting work he'd brought home with no time to keep us out of her hair. Although we Sellers were TX Longhorn fans, we connected with his story about the previous Sat night turning off the radio to go to bed in disgust when TX Tech scored a seemingly winning come from behind touchdown with only a minute left only to learn the next morning that his beloved TX Aggies had run back the ensuing kickoff in the last seconds for a win. During those years in Conroe we kids looked forward to seeing Uncle Larry at our 3 times per week church services, something Larry never missed. As long as we were quiet we were allowed to listen to Uncle Larry and our father discuss scripture to determine whether things we practiced were truly what God wanted versus manmade religious tradition and we were usually quiet because we feared being sent to bed since the discussions went past our bedtime. After Uncle Larry moved to Houston to attend Baylor College of Medicine he countinued to come by our house for discussions with me as then a teen being able to understand more of those discussions. Our whole family was fortunate that Ann readily "adopted" us and continued to share Uncle Larry with us, making sure we were included in their lives over the years, whether in College Station or Salado or North Carolina. This allowed us to see Uncle Larry as a church deacon and elder, professor, and dedicated husband/father/grandfather. His example of staying faithful to God in every phase of his life including being single much longer than his peers even though he longed to be married--something that helped me stay faithful despite not having a mate for a long time, using his TX A&M sabbatical to study Bible at Harding in an effort to dig deeper into God's plans, and his willingness to serve kids in Haiti in his mid-70's despite his knee problems have greatly helped me. His encouragement of me and my family, including my husband Tom whom I knew was the right person based on my models of my father and Uncle Larry, in every phase of our lives has been a blessing from God. We are grateful for Larry's life and look forward to being with him in heaven. Tom and I will continue to pray for comfort for Ann and Larry's biological family and for all of us who will miss Larry on earth. Sherry Sellers Vinson

Jan Doke

September 22, 2024

In the span of my fairly wide life, the years I was associated with Larry were just a few, but the impact he had upon me was powerful and rich. What a delightful man he was- and will continue to be in my mind and heart! He taught me with his knowledge, entertained me with his stories (as wise as parables!), inspired me by his humility and gentleness, and encouraged me over and over with his kind words ("fitly spoken... like apples of gold in settings of silver." Proverbs 25:11). I will always thank God that He saw fit to intersect my life with Larry´s and bless me by getting to know, love, and be loved by this special son and ambassador of His. Whether we were drinking coffee together in the early morning in some cabin tucked away in the woods somewhere and sharing what God was teaching us, hiking to pat wild ponies or having a picnic on a mountaintop on the Appalachian Trail, playing a vast array of games across the table from each other, Dr. Larry never missed an opportunity to make me laugh or marvel with my mouth agape at his wit and wisdom. My life is immeasurably richer because of the few years I was blessed in this life by his friendship, and Heaven is immeasurably richer( if that is possible ?!) because he is there.

Janet and Billie Quiram

September 22, 2024

Our deepest condolences to you. Our memories of Larry are of the friendly family who so graciously welcomed us to the new neighborhood four decades ago. Larry's pleasant kindnesses were a natural part of his daily activities,

Jon and Jan Hunter

September 22, 2024

So saddened for your loss. Larry was a wonderful teacher, role model for his students and his colleagues, and cherished friend to me. So many great memories of our time together in the Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology Department. Jan and I feel so blessed to have been touched by his kindness, humility, and grace.

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