Larry Glen Converse, 84, of South Haven, Michigan and formerly of Elkhart, Indiana, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 19, 2025 at 10:42 am at the Douglas Cove Health and Rehabilitation Center in Douglas, Michigan. He suffered traumatic injuries from a fall and the Lord took him home when his body and brain could no longer recover.

Larry was born in South Bend, Indiana on September 23, 1940 to the late Lawrence and Adeline (Stilp) Converse. He grew up in Elkhart, graduating from Elkhart High School in 1958 before making his way to California for college. He met the love of his life in a bowling class at Whittier College and he and Carol J. McDermont married on August 31, 1963. The sport that brought them together in college continued to be part of their lives for many decades. Larry graduated from Whittier College in 1966 with a degree in business administration.

Larry and Carol, with three young children in tow, made their way back to Elkhart in 1972, and Larry began a long-term career as an accountant and ultimately one of the owners of  Skamper Corporation in Bristol. After the business sold, he later joined the Quality DriveAway family as an accountant and retired in 2014. It took three times for the retirement to finally stick!

Larry loved God and loved his family, including the many furbabies that shared his journey on Earth. He loved Friday night euchre parties with his sister and her husband when the kids were young, and Saturday night trivia with his Yogi Bear Campground family when everyone was older. Playing poker with the guys on Thursday nights, studying the Word with the Breakfast Bible class on Sunday morning, and watching televised sports pretty much any day of the week, particularly when the LA Dodgers were playing, were all activities near to his heart. Larry and Carol enjoyed regular excursions to local casinos and periodic trips to Las Vegas, where Larry could always be found giving money away (with occasional wins) at the blackjack table. And of course there was the FOBB, a group of young men who formed what became a lifelong friendship during their early junior high school days in Elkhart. FOBB stood for Fraternal Order of Booze Buddies (not sure how junior high boys organized under that name!), and the bond carried forward through 70+ years of life and living.

Larry leaves behind a family that he deeply loved, including Carol, his wife of 61 years. He is also survived by son, Robert L. (Michelle) Converse of Zephyrhills, Florida; daughter Patricia C. (Bruce) Nowlin of South Haven; sisters Fawn (Gerald) Thomas of O'Fallon, Illinois and Diana Andrews of Elkhart; grandchildren Jennifer (Jeff) Moles of Osceola, Jeff (Darbi) Converse of Westfield, James Converse of Osceola, Briana Nowlin of Tuscumbia, Alabama and Lily Nowlin of Indianapolis. He also leaves behind four great grandchildren. Larry is preceded in death by his beloved son, James M. "Jim" Converse, and his brother Paul Converse.

In accordance with Larry's wishes,  cremation is to take place with the direction and assistance of Billings Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Elkhart. A memorial gathering of family and friends will take place in Larry's honor on Saturday, April 12 from 1-3 pm at the Fellowship Hall at Trinity on Jackson Church, 2715 Jackson Blvd., Elkhart.