Ladner Rotarian Larry Pretty, a member of Rotary for 40 years, including 25 years as a member of Ladner Rotary, the last three years as an honourary member, passed away recently after a lengthy illness at the age of 82. Larry is survived by his wife Denise and family. He served the club as Director of International Service and the Richmond Rotary club as President in 1991. As a man of the world, Larry was also a member at one time or another of the Rotary Clubs of Monterrico Surco in Peru, Islamabad Cosmopolitan in Islamabad, Pakistan, and Richmond, BC.
Larry's "wife-to-be ", Denise, came to Canada from Lima, Peru in 1969. They married and many years later lived in Monterrico, Peru where he joined the Rotary Club of Monterrico Surco in 1984. He was an active member of that club for five years. On his return to Canada, he joined the Rotary Club of Richmond in 1988. On travelling to Pakistan in 1991 he also joined the Islamabad Rotary Club, summarizing his work with Rotary and their Help Network there to assist underprivileged people in various ways.
In 1998, Larry and Denise, returned to Peru where they contributed both time and money to help build a school for over 400 children, with financial assistance from The Rotary Foundation and the Canadian International Development Agency.
With Patricio Ramirez, a fellow honourary member of Ladner Rotary who worked many years in Ladner and area, now living in Santiago, Chile, Larry led the establishment of a sister club, the Rotary Club of Temuco Norte, in Temuco, Chile. Both Patricio and Larry also became honourary members of that club.
In Rotary Club of Ladner, Larry and Denise contributed in a significant way to Rotary World Help which has now sent shipping containers loaded with medical, dental and educational equipment and supplies to communities in 61 countries where there is need.
Thanks to Larry, Denise, Patricio, Rotary International, and Rotary World Help, the Mapuche native children just outside of Temuco received computers and a startup on the Internet within their schools. A later Rotary World Help container delivered medical and dental equipment, wheelchairs, beds to the Mapuche communities in their somewhat depressed region. Larry later assisted in arranging drilling of a deep well to provide clean drinking water to a Mapuche community.
Long time friend, Ladner Rotarian Arthur Birk, says, “Back in the autumn of 2012, Patricio took a photo of Larry and me at the Rotary World Help shipping container loading warehouse in Coquitlam as we chose dental equipment for a container to be sent to Chile. Then I happened to be in Mapuche territory in January of 2014----and there I was, with a lady dentist, viewing this same dental equipment we had shipped there, in action!”
In 1998, Larry and Denise, returned to Peru where they contributed both time and money to help build a school for over 400 children, with financial assistance from The Rotary Foundation and the Canadian International Development Agency.
With Patricio Ramirez, a fellow honourary member of Ladner Rotary who worked many years in Ladner and area, now living in Santiago, Chile, Larry led the establishment of a sister club, the Rotary Club of Temuco Norte, in Temuco, Chile. Both Patricio and Larry also became honourary members of that club.
In Rotary Club of Ladner, Larry and Denise contributed in a significant way to Rotary World Help which has now sent shipping containers loaded with medical, dental and educational equipment and supplies to communities in 61 countries where there is need.
Thanks to Larry, Denise, Patricio, Rotary International, and Rotary World Help, the Mapuche native children just outside of Temuco received computers and a startup on the Internet within their schools. A later Rotary World Help container delivered medical and dental equipment, wheelchairs, beds to the Mapuche communities in their somewhat depressed region. Larry later assisted in arranging drilling of a deep well to provide clean drinking water to a Mapuche community.
Long time friend, Ladner Rotarian Arthur Birk, says, “Back in the autumn of 2012, Patricio took a photo of Larry and me at the Rotary World Help shipping container loading warehouse in Coquitlam as we chose dental equipment for a container to be sent to Chile. Then I happened to be in Mapuche territory in January of 2014----and there I was, with a lady dentist, viewing this same dental equipment we had shipped there, in action!”
Thank you to Arthur Birk, Patricio Ramirez and Denise Pretty for this salute to Larry and his long and productive, local and international career in Rotary in service of so many in need.