Larry Herman Gregory

Larry Herman Gregory, age 77, of Westerville, Ohio, died on February 23, 2025, at his residence. Born July 2, 1947 in Columbus, Ohio, he was a 1965 graduate of South High School and a graduate from The Ohio State University with a B.A. in Political Science and B. S. in Comprehensive Social Studies. 

Growing up in the South End of Columbus, he attended Washington Avenue United Methodist Church with his family. His parents had been married there in a triple wedding in the 1930s. He followed suit with his own marriage there in 1971. 

Larry was a world traveler and renowned storyteller. He enjoyed researching and sharing about ancient cultures, early Christianity (ever wonder where purple dye came from in ancient times?), the stock market, and health issues. He wrote Are You At Risk for Cancer from HPV? in 2005. He won the Columbus Dispatch investment contest two years in a row, enabling him to take his mother and daughter on a Caribbean cruise in 1987 and his daughter to Hawaii in 1988. 

Larry was one of the first students to visit and study in the old Soviet Union. He spent the fall of 1972 in Moscow. He enjoyed describing how he saw the Moscow Ballet perform Swan Lake, sold his Levi’s jeans at a hefty profit, and visited Tbilisi, Georgia; Czechoslovakia; the Netherlands; France; and England.

Larry served in the Ohio Air National Guard and was deployed to South Korea. One of his favorite stories was how he ordered so many supplies to get ready for winter that the supply train blocked traffic on base because it was too long. On the other hand, don’t ask him to eat kimchi.

After working for a time at Merrill Lynch, he moved on to teaching for Columbus Public Schools. He taught history at South High School and GED classes at the North High School Adult Education Center and the Franklin County Jail (fodder for even more stories). Later in life, due to his penchant for obscure historical facts, he served as a judge for Ohio History Day at the Ohio Historical Society for multiple years.

Throughout much of his adult life, Larry also managed his family’s small real estate portfolio, helping provide affordable housing to families mainly in Columbus’ South End. He prided himself on finding a way to fix things. He continued to be a fix-it-yourself person all the way to the end. 

Larry is survived by his daughter Stephanie Gregory (Perry Chang), New Albany, Indiana; grandson Vincent Mathews (Alexis Meriwether), Jeffersonville, Indiana; and multiple cousins. He was preceded in death by his father, Verlin V. Gregory, mother Alberta M. Gregory (Schwarz), brother Ernie Gregory, former wife Nancy Milbery (Haywood), and nephew Michael Gregory.

Family will receive friends on Monday, March 3, 2025, beginning at 11:00 am until time of funeral service at 1:00 pm at GRAUMLICH FUNERAL HOME, 1351 S. High Street, Columbus, OH. 43207, Pastor Rick Smitson officiating. Interment to follow at Concord Cemetery Grove City, Ohio. To leave an online condolence for the family please visit Larry’s tribute page at www.graumlichfuneralhome.com