Larry Dale Tolliver

Whenever anyone would mention Larry Tolliver’s name, people would say he had the “biggest smile.” And he did. Larry Dale Tolliver, 80, of Bloomington, passed away on Saturday, June 29, 2024, at IU Health Hospital. Larry was born on December 4, 1943, in Lansing, Michigan, the son of Wayne Tolliver and Edith (Stines) Tolliver. The majority of his childhood was growing up in Bath, Michigan. His father’s parents also moved nearby so he was surrounded by family, aunts, uncles and cousins. They would go camping and fishing creating wonderful memories. Larry liked to tell stories about the long trips back to Indiana to visit his mother’s parents in Brown County. His dad would load up the family (four boys and two sisters) and off they would go. His dad did not like to make pit stops so he didn’t allow any drinks in the car. Towards evening the car windows collected condensation and Larry was so thirsty he would start licking the condensation to quench his thirst. When he was about 15 years old his family moved to Bedford, Indiana. He didn’t lose his “Michigan accent” and his classmates told him “You talk funny.” He graduated from Needmore High School in 1962. After high school he married Joyce Knight and resided north of Bedford. They raised two sons and a daughter. Larry wanted to continue his passion of fishing and hunting arrowheads which he discovered in Michigan and made numerous trips to the Ohio River, a lot of times accompanied by his family. He was a member of the Indiana Archaeological Society where he received numerous awards for his collection. In 1988, Larry married Carol J. (Thrasher) Winkler. They were married on the 15th of April. The same day as “tax day.” Jokingly he told his friends that he would never have an excuse to forget their anniversary date. For seventeen years, Larry was employed at RCA in Bloomington. Later, he joined the workforce at Cook Medical and worked as a machinist in the machine shop for approximately 35 years until he retired. Larry is survived by his wife, Carol J. Tolliver of Bloomington, Indiana; his children, Frank Tolliver of Mitchell, Indiana, Steve (Leann) Tolliver of Solisberry, Indiana; Lori (Kevin) Lawton of Rio Rancho, New Mexico; step-daughter Claire (Greg) Grostefon of Kewanna, Indiana; and a step-son Stephen Kyle (Amy) Winkler of Bloomington, Indiana; ten grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; his brother Douglas (Susan) Tolliver of Bedford, Indiana; his sister, Linda Martin of Paoli, Indiana, and his sister Pamela (Steve) Ritter of Norman, Indiana. He was preceded in death by his parents, Wayne and Edith Tolliver; two brothers, Dustin Tolliver and Phillip Tolliver. There will be no funeral service. Allen Funeral Home and Crematory have been entrusted with cremation. The family will have a Celebration of Life on Friday, July 5th, 2024 at the Harrodsburg Community Center, in Harrodsburg, Indiana at 12:00 noon. Larry had asked his friend, Tony Grillo, to stand in to officiate.

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Larry Dale Tolliver

December 4, 1943 - June 29, 2024