Larry Hannum
Sunrise: 10/16/1942
Sunset: 12/25/2022
Christopher Creek, AZ – All people die, but not all people live. Larry packed everything he could into is 80 years on this earth. He began his life as a talented football player, earning a scholarship to Phoenix College and NAU (known at the time as Arizona State College). While he was mainly a blocker in the game, every now and then you could get him to tell the story of the one touchdown he managed to score. Larry loved his family’s annual trip to NAU for the homecoming game and catching up with his “WayBackJacks” football teammates. Of course they always stayed at the Monte Vista Hotel where he worked the graveyard shift while a student at NAU.
Larry went on to become a teacher, where he retired after 30 years. He taught at Madison #1 and
Madison Meadows in Phoenix. He also attended Madison #1 as a child, so it had come full circle for
him when he took his first teaching job there. It was also at Madison #1 that Larry met his wife, JJ,
whom he would spend 42 years and 4 months with. He also coached various sports throughout his career. However, the most important coaching job of all was that of his two daughters in softball.
Over those years he managed to get through dealing with emotional, chaotic, and often times bratty teenage girls.
Larry loved to watch his football – which included yelling at the TV when the Cardinals choked, which happened to be every Sunday of this year. He always had his wife drive home after a particularly bad game so he could call in to the Cardinals football hotline to give them a piece of his mind. One could say it’s a miracle he never got through. What else can you say about this wonderful 80-year-old man?
Larry also loved traveling and taking photos. There were very few moments where he wasn’t toting along his precious Nikon. One thing about him was that he hated the beach.
Those that touch our lives .... stay in our hearts forever.
He always joked that the beach would be great if it didn’t have sand or water. The family always frequented Laguna as the beach of choice so he could stay busy with both the basketball courts and burger joint together, while the girls were stuck eating sand-filled tuna sandwiches. He especially loved Christopher Creek where he spent much of his youth hiking in the back woods. In his
retirement years he lived here full time and took great joy maintaining his beautiful yard. He also spent several years serving on the Christopher Kohls Fire Department Board.
Larry also liked to tell jokes. We tried to think of a Larry joke to include that was both short and clean but were unsuccessful (for more info - talk with his sons).
He was an avid reader of the daily paper; and like a lot of older people, the first place he went to was the obituary section. He always joked about his name not being there. Today, we know you would be proud of the memories we have told and the life story we have placed as your legacy.
Some things never end… like love, memory and the legacy of a life that meant so much.
Larry is predeceased by his daughter Julie. He leaves behind his wife of over 42 years, JJ. He is survived by his brother Steve, two sons Paul and Michael, two daughters Sierra and Dustee, and his grandchildren, Gracie, Luke, Dakota, Ashtyn, Haven, Alicia, Lincoln and Arianna. He will be greatly missed by his beloved dog Lucy.
