It is with great sadness that I inform the Mini fraternity of the passing of Larry Howard.

I am sure that there are a lot of people in the Mini circles who had the pleasure of knowing Larry.

For those who did not know him I would like to tell you a little about the man, and Larry is a Man in the true sense of the word.

His interest in the Mini Dates back decades. Larry once owned a successful Mini business in Penrith, however, as a result of a bad car accident Larry had to close the business down. Bad luck would plague Larry for the rest of his life.

I never ever heard him complain. Whenever he and I discussed any of the many obstacles Larry had to confront he would simply say, "ah well, that's life Smidty", and he would just get on with it.

Larry's knowledge of the Mini and his ability to remember part numbers and any relevant supercession is legendary. Many years back when the Mini Kingdom catalogue was being written Larry was always available with help and advice.

Larry and I worked together for over thirty years and I considered him to be an honest, reliable, loyal friend. He was a great help to Mini owners for many a year, both on the front line and behind the scenes.

Larry has not enjoyed good health for many years and in the latter part of his life it got particularly difficult for him, but still not the slightest complaint. During this period he would come over and help me as much and as often as he could, and would even apologise for not coming in if he was not feeling well enough.

I will miss you my friend. If there is a better place after death you have more than earned the right to be there.

Smidty

_________________
" A Hundred Years From Now It will not Matter what my Bank Acount Was,
The Sort Of House I Lived in, Or The Kind Of Car I drove ... But The World May Be A Better Place
Because I was Once Important In The Life Of A Child"

I only knew Larry for a relatively short time but we struck up a friendship at the outset. I think that may have been helped by our common interest in BMC parts and part numbers, a topic that results in glazed eyes for most Mini enthusiasts.

I can still picture Larry sitting behind the counter at MKO's Mulgrave shop taking phone calls and processing orders. Larry instinctively knew what questions to ask a caller to ensure the correct part was being referenced. Only occasionally did he need to refer to a parts book or catalogue, and usually just as check that his memory was correct.

Larry had a sharp, dry sense of humour that he displayed frequently, perhaps as a way to block out some of the pain he suffered on a permanent basis in his later years.

In recognition of their longstanding friendship John arranged for one of the awards at the annual MKO and Mini Car Club Show & Shine to be named in Larry's honour. The Larry's Choice award was a sought-after prize for Mini enthusiasts.

The Mini community is a little poorer as a result of his passing.

Doug

_________________
ex-NSW Police 1970 MK II Cooper S
VMCI #43

I bet my dad (Jack) & Larry are having a good old laugh together upstairs (or downstairs )
i would suggest those two guys were the very best mini-part-numbers people on the planet,
without fail !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RIP guys will miss you terribly

_________________
No offence intended here but--> anyone writing a book about minis 30 years ago may not have experienced such worn or stuffed-with components as we are finding these days.

You should put your heart & soul into everything you do.

And I would agree with that 100% Mat

_________________
" A Hundred Years From Now It will not Matter what my Bank Acount Was,
The Sort Of House I Lived in, Or The Kind Of Car I drove ... But The World May Be A Better Place
Because I was Once Important In The Life Of A Child"

Rest in Peace Larry
you will be greatly missed

Mark

Sorry to hear of Larrys passing
I have dealt with him from back in the BEP days and always found him to be helpful and obliging
His sense of humour and jokes were refreshing even in his tough times
RIP

I had the honour of being a recipient of a "Larry's Choice Award" and at the time I thought that I had receive a very special acknowledgement. That trophy takes pride of place at home and I will be thinking of Larry every time I look at it.
RIP Larry.

Steve

_________________
Dalmeny

I had the pleasure of knowing Larry for nearly 20 years, he was one of the most knowledgeable men of minis.
He's cheeky laugh and smile will always be remembered.

RIP Larry.


Doogie

_________________
I won Hay once, here's the pic to prove it..


Hay, it's not about the car, it's not about the venue, it's about the people that come here. Peter Dwyer, Mayor of Hay NSW.

I remember going to mini kingdom in mid 90's giving him a big list and he rattled of all the part numbers like it was first nature to him and his red mk2 cooper s parked out the front he was definitely one of a kind
RIP Larry.

I did not know Larry very well, but he must have been a good guy to work with you John and the team. TRUE GENTLEMEN.
P7676 Allen H

Hi Mini enthusiasts


Funeral details for Larry:-

Leura Memorial Gardens and Crematorium

Kitchener road,

Leura NSW 2780

Tuesday 10:00AM.

For those wishing to attend, a Convoy is being organised to leave McDonalds, on the M4 at Eastern Creek at 8:30am.

The convoy will travel up the Great Western Highway with lights on to Leura, and all Mini’s are welcome to join in along the way.



Regards Rob Weir,
Mini Enthusiast Chairman,
Mini Car Club of NSW

_________________
1969 Cooper "S"
1967 Mini Deluxe
1973 Clubman Van (the fleet spare)
1978 ex 1275 LS ("Wizard" Eaton Supercharged)
2015 HSV GenF GTS(occasional drive & tow car)
2019 MINI F55 Cooper S

I didn't know Larry very well and only met him a couple of times, but found him cheerful and helpful. One thing that stands out, though, is that everyone I spoke to who knew him always said good things about him and I often heard it said, whenever someone was discussing trying to find a part for their Mini, to "give Larry at Mini Kingdom a call".

_________________
Watto .
Photojournalist
Mini historian and enthusiast
http://www.theminiexperience.com.au