Larry Arrell James McElrea 1933-2023

Larry McElrea passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, at the age of 90. Larry was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years Mary (2014) and son Michael (2019). Larry will be missed by his extended family and leaves behind; Mark (Ann) McElrea, Jim (Eileen) McElrea, Jerry (Gladys) McElrea, Ann (Stan) Newman, Cara (Wayne) Porter plus 17 Grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. Larry will also be missed by special friend Marie Inchley. Larry was born May 3, 1933 in Iron Bridge, Ontario to Stuart and Eileen (Tulloch) McElrea. The McElrea's were pioneers who purchased a logging camp in 1933 and built a prosperous tourist destination for hunting and fishing in Algoma District. Larry grew up in the wild of Frontier Lodge, working as a fishing tour guide in the summers, always taking his guests to his favorite fishing holes and cooking fresh fish on the shore of whichever lake they visited that day. Rawhide, Sisters, and Rose Marie were favorites for many. In 1952 Larry moved south to Sarnia to be near his newfound love, Mary who lived across the river in Port Huron. Larry and Mary married in 1954 and soon welcomed their first son. Larry worked as a truck driver at Imperial Oil until he joined the Sarnia Police Services in 1954 as a constable and then rose through the ranks reaching the level of Inspector and overseeing the Detective Division for several years before retiring in 1984 after 30 years of dedicated service, working to keep Sarnia safe. After retiring Larry and Mary spent summers on their own "Golden Pond", McElrea Lake, fishing, picking blueberries and hosting family and friends. Over the years Larry enjoyed sharing his love for the outdoors, fishing and hunting, first with his own kids and then with the grandkids and great grandkids. Summer fish fries, only with fresh from the lake fish, have become a family tradition, always competing to make the fish better than Grandpa Larry's. Larry loves to share tales of catching bad guys, helping people in need and the big fish that got away. He will be remembered as caring person with a big heart, always willing to give a hand and offer advice. A private family funeral service has taken place. Larry will be laid to rest at Lakeview Cemetery, Port Huron, MI next to Mary. Remembrances and condolences may be expressed to the family online in “Larry’s Guestbook” at mccormackfuneralhomesarnia.com.