Photography
Official Obituary of

Lawrence S. Kendall

April 12, 1942 ~ February 24, 2025 (age 82) 82 Years Old

Lawrence Kendall Obituary

Lawrence “Larry” Kendall was born in Detroit, MI, on April 12th, 1942, to Samuel (Kutchai) Kendall and Grace (McConaghy) Kendall. He grew up with his younger brother Lee in Ferndale, MI, and graduated from Ferndale High School in 1960. He married and later divorced Gloria Tata (Minando) and had two children, Mark and Laura. He is survived by his brother, Lee Kendall (wife Sheila), his children, Mark Kendall and Laura Kendall (partner Ryan DeLoye), grandson Max Kendall (wife Elizabeth Van Horn), niece Terri Bailey, great-nieces Emily and Hannah Bailey, and other extended family members and dear friends, including Fred Wolf, who was a loyal friend to Larry until his passing.

Larry shared his passion for sports with his son Mark and grandson Max. He passed his love of film on to his daughter Laura, who teaches film at Oakland Community College in Royal Oak, MI. She is forever grateful to her father for exposing her to so many influential films from a young age, including The Rocky Horror Picture Show when she was 7 years old. He was an autodidact with a love of words and trivia. He played a mean game of Jeopardy and had an (almost) photographic knowledge of sports statistics.

Larry was a unique person who lived life on his terms. His motto was a quote from Søren Kierkegaard:“Once you label me, you negate me.”  His unwillingness to conform to society's and others' expectations made him as unique as he was challenging. Larry was unforgettable, and his passing made life a little less colorful. He shall be remembered fondly.

“The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.”

― Omar Khayyám

Instead of flowers, donations may be made to the ACLU of Michigan. Larry's life will be celebrated in the spring.

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