Larry Michael "Bounce" LaFave, age 67, of Munising died unexpectedly on Sunday, September 20, 2015 at 12:05 a.m. at Munising Memorial Hospital. He was born on March 18, 1948 in Marquette, Michigan to Lawrence "Stowe" and Maxine (Welch) LaFave. Larry was raised in Munising, battling and overcoming the affects of polio as a young child. He graduated from Sacred Heart School and from Wm. G. Mather High School in 1966. Bounce was an athlete in high school and participated in football and track and was a member of Mather High's first wrestling team. Larry picked up the nickname "Bounce" while in high school and has been affectionately called that ever since.
After graduating from high school Bounce entered the U.S. Marine Corps and valiantly served his country in Vietnam. He was awarded the Purple Heart with two clusters along with numerous other medals and citations. Upon returning home after serving his country, he battled Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of his tour in Vietnam and used that battle to reach out and help other veterans overcome their P.T.S.D. struggles.
Bounce also attended Northern Michigan University, graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology. Bounce then went to work as a probation and parole officer for the State of Michigan.
In 1982, he married Jolene Fasenello and together they raised their son, Evan. In the 1980's Bounce and Jolene, along with his brother Bill and Bill's wife, Jane, opened a gym called E.T.'s, where he enjoyed lifting weights and beating his nephews in racquetball. He then drove semi-trucks throughout the rest of the 80's and 90's, and upon retirement, he returned to Munising to care for his parents.
Bounce was a fun loving and selfless man who was always thinking of ways to help others. He was kind and accepted people without judgment, had a wonderful sense of humor and was constantly reading in search of knowledge. To his son, nieces and nephews, Bounce was larger than life and was always having fun with them. He was a role model, mentor, and hero in their eyes and will be grievously missed by his family and friends.
Bounce is survived by his son - Evan (Shanon) LaFave of Munising; granddaughters - Autymn, Kiira, and Skyler; father - Lawrence "Stowe" LaFave of Munising; siblings - Kay (Wayne) Dausey of Munising, Mary (Dave) Ward of Eau Claire, WI, and Bill (Jane) LaFave of Castle Rock, CO; nephews and nieces - Jim, Kristen, Tricia, Jon, Mike, Steve, Brenda, Andrea, Jeff, Brad, and Brent; and numerous great nieces and nephews. Bounce was preceded in death by his mother Maxine and by Jolene.
Visitation will be held at the Bowerman Funeral Home on Thursday from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. A Parish Vigil Service and a time for sharing of stories and memories will be held at 7:00 p.m. Father Chris Gardiner will celebrate Bounce's Mass of Christian Burial at Sacred Heart Church on Friday, September 25, 2015 at 12:00 noon, with his nephews proudly attending as pall bearers. Interment will be at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Munising at a later date.