GOLDSMITH LARRIE P

WO1 Larrie "Peter Pilot" P. Goldsmith was a VHPA member who died after his tour in Vietnam on 02/20/2012 at the age of 69.0
Visalia, CA
Flight Classes 69-41 and 69-39
Date of Birth 03/10/1943
Served in the U.S. Army
Served in Vietnam with 335 AHC in 70
Call sign in Vietnam MUSTANG 101
This information was provided by Sammie Obit

More detail on this person: Larrie Phillip Goldsmith U.S. Forestry Larrie was a man of many talents, interests and diverse abilities. He was fortunate to put them to use in his lifetime. Larrie, "Butch" to his family, graduated from Porterville High School in 1959, leaving behind a pole vaulting record and winning many shot put medals. After graduation he became a firefighter for the California Division of Forestry, with dad Euel hoping he'd follow in his footsteps. But this was not his passion. He then enlisted in the army, graduating from Officers Candidate School as a pilot and was sent directly to Vietnam as a helicopter pilot. Larrie was injured in battle December 15, 1969 and was badly hurt. After a long recovery, Larrie did return to the forestry with an early retirement. He received the Purple Heart, Air Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal and finally, Army Aviation Badge. He did not give up his love of flying and did some crop dusting and opened an airplane charter business. His other loves were painting and motorcycles. He leaves behind many beautiful paintings. In 1986, his passion for Goldwing motorcycles drove him to design and manufacture a camper/trailer for motorcycles. He and his wife, Beverly, took many motorcycle trips throughout Canada and the U.S as members of a Christian motorcycle club. Larrie also had a passion for bowling, winning numerous awards and competitions while achieving a perfect 300 bowling record on several occasions. This lead him to own two bowling shops, first in Visalia and later in Fresno, CA. His failing health caused him to slow down and was ill for a very long time, succumbing finally to be with the Lord on February 20th of 2012, where he is finally at peace. Larrie was born March 10, 1943 to Euel W. and Randa F. Goldsmith. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 50 years, Beverly. Children: Laura and her husband Todd Marshall, Larry Jr., and Michelle Dillard. Brother, Doyle Goldsmith and his wife, Faye, sister Sharyn and husband Robert Schelling, grandchildren Jannell, Mandy, Jessie, Colby, Brittany, Stevie, Ashley, Ryan and Matthew, and 8 great grandchildren.

This information was last updated 05/18/2016

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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024


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