Richard "Larry" Ethridge

Richard Larry Ethridge, age 90, of Denver, Colorado, passed away peacefully on October 15, 2026 after a long, blessed life, surrounded by family. Larry had great love for God, family and country.

Born in 1936 into a farming family in Grandview, Arkansas, Larry was the child of proud parents, Donald & Lena Ethridge. Larry met and married the love of his life, Connie, in 1957. After graduating from LeTourneau Technical Institute in 1958, Larry pursued a meaningful career at several engineering companies, including North American Aviation, Rockwell Manufacturing, Fisher & Porter and his own company, Topro Engineering. They lived in a variety of locations before a job opportunity brought them to Colorado. They fell in love with Colorado, moving to Denver in 1966.

He was most proud of his career with the Apollo program at North American Aviation designing a fuel conditioning/stabilizing transfer system used to fuel the original Apollo rockets. His contribution to one of America’s greatest achievements meant a great deal to him.

He finished his career as CEO of an entrepreneurial start-up business, Tech Sales, later renamed Topro Engineering, providing control systems and instrumentation to the process control industry, before selling his company and retiring.

Beyond his professional life, Larry was a passionate traveler (having traveled to 78 Countries), genealogist (spending countless hours researching family ties online), avid golfer (two hole-in-ones at Pinehurst Country Club), hiker (climbed four 14ers in his 60’s including Long’s Peak) and Denver professional sports enthusiast.

Larry planned and led several trips with many of his college friends. His love for travel and family came together as he planned and brought together his two sons and their families for several trips to outstanding travel destinations. He and Connie, his wife, traveled all over the world, visiting over 75 countries together. He was fascinated by the varied peoples and cultures of the world, as well as the storied histories of these places.

Larry had a great love for family, quickly welcoming new members. His great love of family led him to a love for genealogy which had him spending many hours online investigating his roots, traveling to ancestor’s home states to research further. His research culminated with the creation of an extensive family ancestry book for the Ethridge side of his family distributed to family members attending a family reunion in 2021.

Larry was a huge Denver professional sports fan including the Rockies, the Avalanche, the Nuggets and especially the Broncos. He and Connie held season tickets for many years to the Broncos games. Game time would usually find him at the game or watching the game broadcast enthusiastically.

He was a member of several churches over the years, most recently an active member of Bear Valley Church and found great joy in community fellowship. Larry placed his faith in Jesus when he was 9 years old. His example of faith and belief deeply influenced his family and the legacy continues to this day.

Larry will be remembered most for his enduring enthusiasm for life, boundless generosity, deep love for family and his kind, welcoming spirit. He will be greatly missed by all that knew and loved him.

Larry is survived by his loving spouse of 69 years, Connie; sons, Danny Alan “Dan” Ethridge (Flora) & Scott Charles Ethridge (Crystie); grandchildren, Nicole Bentz (Andrew), James Ethridge, Kimberly Shugert (Daniel) & Dustin Ethridge (Bridget), three great granddaughters [Finley, Ava & Sandia], loving brother Neal Ethridge (Betty) & loving sister Lynelle Peck (Leroy). He was preceded in death by parents Donald & Lena Ethridge.

Service Details:
Family and friends are invited to a visitation on November 2, 2026 from 9:00 am to 9:45 am at Horan & McConaty Funeral Home located at 3101 S Wadsworth Blvd, Lakewood.

A Celebration of life for Larry will be held on November 2, 2026 at 10:00 am at Horan & McConaty Funeral Home located at 3101 S Wadsworth Blvd, Lakewood, with Pastor Rich Peterson officiating.

Following the service at 11:00 am, all are welcome to join the family for a reception immediately following the interment at Horan & McConaty Funeral Home located at 3101 S Wadsworth Blvd, Lakewood.

Following the reception, Larry will be laid to rest at Olinger Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens located at 6601 S Colorado Blvd, Centennial.

Flowers or donations are welcome. The family requests that donations be made in Larry’s memory to The American Cancer Society or the Parkinson’s Foundation.