Larry Alan Pugh, 69, passed peacefully on Saturday, July 10, 2021, after a lengthy battle against a crippling lymphoma. He was born Oct. 27, 1951, in Morgantown, one of two children of the late Delmar Pugh and the late Phyllis (Federer) Pugh.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Sherry Del (Pugh) Pauley. He is survived by his brother-in-law, Franklin Pauley, formerly of the Morgantown area, and several cousins, located every which where.
Larry found nightshift agreeable, working for 17 years in computer operations for WVNET, followed by another 15 years manning the IT helpdesk for J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital, a job he prized. He graduated from WVU with an A.B. degree in political science in December 1973.
He enjoyed the game of darts and played for several years on and off in the highly competitive teams league sponsored by the Mountaineer Dart Association. He also liked to read a lot, keeping up with national political news and reading background books in history and biography for a longer perspective. Some genre fiction he found appealing, such as the works of Alan Furst and Michael Connelly.
Larry wanted to thank several groups for the care they took to prolong and enhance his final months: Cheat Lake Healthworks, J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital, Encompass (Health South) Rehab Hospital, Genesis Madison House, Care Partners Home Health, NewFit Transport Service, Pierpont Pharmacy and the Radiation Oncology Dept and Dr. Veltri’s Medical Oncology team of specialists, both of WVU Mary Babbs Randolph Cancer Center. All were topnotch.
At home he was helped immeasurably by his caretaker team, Scott and his fiancé Carolyn, meeting his grocery and home cleaning and fixit needs for many months. His two neighboring homes, led by Bob and Darren, were very obliging, overcoming transport access obstacles, mowing grass, delivering mail, putting out trash and resolving other problems as they arose.
Larry felt that lasting thanks to all would not be appropriate without a mention of Larry’s two greatest longtime friends: Patricia Patteson and George Lies. It was a great pleasure to work with Patty copy reading and making suggestions during the creation of her novel trilogy, known as the “O’Donnell Family Saga,” set in the second half of the 19th century and mainly situated near the western coast of Ireland during that tumultuous time. Written under her maiden name, Patricia Hopper, it is an impressive trilogy worthy of a growing readership.
Over the course of 40 years, George Lies was Larry’s mentor and greatest friend, inviting him along as travel companion on eye-opening visits to meet new authors at the Virginia Festival of the Book, held in mid-March each year in Charlottesville, Va. Other visits to the WV Writers Conference held annually at Cedar Lakes in Ripley demonstrate that the writing community in West Virginia is large, talented and built to last.
Because of the recent pandemic, Larry thought it best to authorize Hastings Funeral Home to take charge of cremation and a quiet burial of ashes at Mount Union Cemetery. His relatives, friends, former coworkers and teammates are encouraged to remember him as he was, without grief.
In lieu of flowers, those so inclined are invited to send a contribution in his memory to his favorite charity: St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
Condolences:
www.hastingsfuneralhome.com
