SARGENIA, Lawrence “Larry”

April 30, 1931 — August 15, 2021

In loving memory of Lawrence “Larry” Sargenia who passed away peacefully at home with family members by his side on August 15, 2021, at the age of 90.

Lawrence was born April 30, 1931, at Kelowna General Hospital and lived in Kelowna, BC most of his life. He was the oldest of three children born to Leonie Sargenia (née Marty) with two sisters: Josephine “Kie” (Stan) Sundin (predeceased) and Yvonne (Chet) Kendall.

Lawrence was married to Marian (d. Dec 2016) for 61 years.  Together they had three children, Karen Rowen, Jim Sargenia (d. 1993), and Aimee (Dan) Schlosser.  He is also survived by his five grandchildren and their spouses: Mathew Rowen and Jimmy, Riley (Kathleen), Jeffrey (Katie), and Rachel Schlosser.

Lawrence’s mother and sisters lived in an old house that was located at 453 Lawrence Ave, where the Castanet building now sits. Lawrence was the big brother and took care of two younger sisters who always looked up to him, which created a tight bond between them. Their mom owned and operated the first beauty school in the Interior of BC: the “Okanagan Valley Hairdressing School”. Leonie was a smart businesswoman and added the storefront to her house where she would run the school. This is where Lawrence and Marian first met as she attended the hairdressing school.

Lawrence had his shop at Kent Rd, where he had a number of businesses over the years. He was a talented automotive machinist – rebuilding engines, clinching deals, and building lasting relationships in the community. Lawrence had many friends whom he adored and loved it when they came by to visit his shop and shoot the breeze. He was the type of guy that would do anything for you and was always willing to help and try fixing a problem. Lawrence and Marian worked hard over the years and were a great team as she ran the office and the books while he fixed equipment and made the deals.

Lawrence was employed by Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers as an Aircraft Manager and Machine Shop Appraiser from 1982 – 1988, it was a stressful time as Marian ran the business while Lawrence was working full time for Ritchie Bros a lot of time spent out of town but they made it work as they were a team.

They built their home at Poplar Point 52 years ago, where they raised their three children. Lawrence lived out his last days there and got his wish to pass away at home.

His sister Yvonne, and her spouse Chet, loved to come up and spend time with Lawrence & Marian. Chet was like a brother to Lawrence, and they loved mixing drinks while Chet always had a funny story to share. Yvonne and Lawrence had so much in common with their love of movies and memories of Kelowna.

Lawrence was also an accomplished pilot who had his own airplane and enjoyed taking friends and family out over his 50 years of flying.

Lawrence was a family man and loved to take the kids downhill skiing in the winter and water-skiing in the summer. Unfortunately, in 1993, Lawrence and Marian were hit hard when their only son Jim died in a scuba diving accident.

In 1994, their first grandchild arrived with four more to arrive over the coming years. They absolutely loved their grandchildren and were the best grandparents ever! Lawrence was equally excited when two of his grandsons married, and he got two more granddaughters to join the family.

All of Lawrence’s grandchildren were close to him in their own ways. Mathew spent countless hours over the years at Lawrence’s shop with his grandfather. Jimmy loved to make his grandfather laugh, and Lawrence always attempted to bribe him into moving back home. Riley and his wife were grateful to be supporting their grandpa through the final stage of his life and providing home care for him after his stroke. Jeffrey lived with Lawrence for a number of months before marrying his wife Katie in May, and the two got to be roommates in their bachelor pad. Of course, when Lawrence was asked who his favorite grandchild was, he consistently answered “Rachel.”

Lawrence spent much of his final years with his beautiful lady friend, Gerda, who loved and supported him throughout their time together. She quickly became part of the family, and her encouraging spirit continues to be a source of strength for Lawrence’s loved ones.

Lawrence was a pillar in the community, where he built many lifelong friendships and connections all over the city – he will be greatly missed.

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