Lawrence E. Gerken

Lawrence E. Gerken, 91, of Medical Lake died Feb. 12, 2017 at Spokane Hospice House with his wife and family members by his side.

Larry was born in Wellfleet, Neb., Aug. 23, 1925 to Paul and Amy (Rust) Gerken, the second of eight children. The family moved to Trout Creek, Mont. where he attended school. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army from December 1943 to March 1946. His division served in the European Theater of Operations with Patton's 9th Army Division. He was wounded during the Battle of the Bulge and again at Dortmus, Germany.

He attended the West Coast Trade School in Portland, Ore. where he studied Heating and Air Conditioning and later Bonneville Operators School and began a 31-year career with the Corps of Engineers as a hydropower house operator. He worked at many of the dams on the Columbia River, mainly at Chief Joseph at Bridgeport, Wash. After retirement he and wife Mili made their home in Moses Lake where he enjoyed gardening, sharing the produce with family and many friends. He was an avid fisherman and enjoyed square dancing. In 1999, Larry and Mili became full time RVer's and traveled the Western and Midwest states for six years. In 2005 they made their home in Medical Lake.

He married Janette Vaught in March 1948 and they had two sons, Ernest and Terry. In May 1954, he married Eva Louise Rounds and children Lyle and Denese were born to that marriage. In January 1988, he married Mildred Pasley Jones.

Larry is preceeded in death by his parents, his son, Terry, wife, Louise, brother Paul Jr., and sister, Carol.

He is survived by his wife Mili, sons Ernest of Bridgeport; Lyle, Payette, Idaho; daughter Denese (Gary) Bowman, Bremerton, Wash.; stepdaughter, Peggy Dillon, Leander, Texas; brothers Floyd from Kennewick, Wash.; Dean (Rose) Spokane Valley; Theo Wayne (Elva), Oroville, Wash., and sisters Dorothy Davis, Omak, Wash. and Norma Verbeck, Oroville. He is also survived by six grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

Larry was a member of the First Baptist Church in Ephrata,Wash. and a lifelong member of the American Legion. Committal to the Medical Lake Veterans Cemetery and a celebration of life will be at a

later date.

The family requests that remembrances be made to Hospice House of Spokane.