April 1941 – July 2022 (81)
2 PPCLI
RANKIN, Larry J.: April 1941 to July 2022 It is with broken hearts that we announce the passing of Larry J. Rankin, Sergeant Major (retired), Lieutenant Colonel (Cadet Instructor Cadre CIC ; retired), CD2. The love of his life-Anne-is greatly mourning the loss of the love of her life. Their’s was a love to stand the test of time and an example of loving marriage. At his core, Larry was a family man. His 3 loving daughters, Michele, Karen, and Debbra; 4 treasured grandchildren, Michael, Melissa, Tara, and Kayla; and his 9 precious great-grandchildren: Brooke, Ryker, Parker, Alexis, Peyton, Zayden, Sydon, Londynn, and Calliope; are heartbroken with his passing and cherish the unconditional love, unwavering support, and treasured memories he gave them. As members of his legacy, we honoured that he not only gave us life, but showed us how to live life well. Without him we would not exist, not have had amazing careers, not have our own families, and our own babies. We will be forever grateful. Larry was a kind, generous, man with an excellent sense of humor, impeccable integrity, and the highest standards of honesty, loyalty, and friendship. Larry proudly served his country in the Canadian Armed Forces and his stellar military career included posting to Edmonton, Germany, Winnipeg, and Regina, along with three operational tours in Cyprus and Egypt. After 24 years of service in the Regular Force, he retired in Kelowna where he continued to contribute to the CAF by becoming a CIC officer. His contribution to cadets was comprised of more than 10 decades summer employment that included coaching international competitive rifle shooting teams and being the 2 I/C (second in command) and the Commanding Officer, sequentially, at the Banff National Army Cadet Camp. He impacted many young lives from young soldiers to cadets, by nurturing, inspiring, and challenging them to greater life and career ambitions. He led his troops with compassion, humor, and conviction. Larry was equally proud of his role as a bus driver for Kelowna School District #23 where he was fondly known as “Mr. Shiny Shoes.” On Larry’s behalf, we thank Dr Joshua Nordine for providing the highest calibre of care over the past several years with a personalized, caring, and compassionate nature never witnessed before. We also thank Jody, RN, for ensuring his passing was peaceful and providing our family with the greatest kindness and compassion during an extremely trying time. Thank you very much. As per Larry’s request there will be no funeral. In lieu of flowers, we would greatly appreciate a donation to the BC Cancer Foundation in memory of Larry: http://donate.bccancerfoundation.com/site/TR?px=2890871&pg=personal&fr_id=3390&et=v6Mf3INlPtPs40FgjbSV5VqdUVMidWZvKSAmur–3FxbJzN7LfLiNw&s_tafId=15908.
We thank you for being our friend, our confidant, our protector, and best of all, our father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and husband. Rest in peace our love, until we meet again.
Published by Okanagan Valley Newspaper Group on Jul. 23, 2022.
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