Obituary of Lawrence C. See

Lawrence "Larry" C. See, 69 formerly of the Iowa City area, died Monday, November 17, 2014, at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am Friday, November 21, 2014, at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service, where visitation will be from 9:30 am until services on Friday at the funeral home. Burial with Military Honors will be held at the Oakland Cemetery in Solon. In lieu of flowers a memorial fund has been established in Larry's memory. Lawrence Charles See was born July 3, 1945, the eldest son of Charles G. and Dorothy M. (Wall) See at his grandmother's home in Ely, Iowa. He attended and graduated from Solon High School where he was active in FFA. After graduation Larry joined the United States Navy. Larry attended Air Conditioning and Refrigeration School. During his 6 years in the Navy (63-69) 4.5 of those years were spent overseas serving as a Machinist Mate. Larry earned the Vietnam campaign ribbon with battle stars for the support his ship, the USS Kennebec, provided to the battle theater. Larry returned to Iowa after the Navy and was employed by the Iowa Medical and Classification Center (Oakdale) as a Cooling/Boiler Plant Operator. In 1973 he transitioned to the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Iowa City where he worked as part of Engineering as a Boiler Plant Operator until his disability retirement in 1990. Larry also served in the Army Reserve for two years in the 1970s as a Sergeant. Larry was an advocate for veterans. He lobbied for veterans rights at the local, county, and state level. He served on the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) State Council (IA) for several years and was also a Service Officer for the VVA. Larry is a lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and served as the unit Commander for many years, for both the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids Units. He was a lifetime member of the AMVETS, as well as having been a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the American Legion. Larry helped found the American Legion Post in North Liberty. Larry was a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Iowa City. He enjoyed the outdoors, cars, visiting his Mother's family in Milwaukee, and was fond of his English Springer Spaniels. His family includes his 3 children; Lawrette (Lawrie) See, Matthew See, and Katrina See (husband John Needelman); grandson, Brandon; brothers, David See and James See (Connie); sisters, Carol Moore (Tim), Mary See, and Patricia See; and his former wife, Aileen as well as many nieces and nephews. Larry was preceded in death by his parents, sister, Dianne Platteter, and brother, Charles E. See.