Larry Edward Latham

Larry Edward Latham, 61, of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma died on November 2, 2014 after a brief but valiant battle with cancer. Larry was the son of the late Fred and Julia Latham and loving husband of Kelly Lynn Reynolds. He is survived by wife Kelly, as well as sister Susan Pollock and husband Alan of Edmond, Oklahoma, and uncle A.J. Telowicz and wife Tomiko of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He is also survived by many cousins, nieces and nephews. Larry enjoyed a lengthy, wide and varied career in animation, film, TV, theater and teaching. He was only in junior high when he was one of the founding members of the Oklahoma Alliance of Fandom (O.A.F.), one of the earliest comics clubs in the nation which just held its 47th anniversary convention which Larry attended. Moving to California in his early 20's after completing a degree in Motion Picture Production at the University of Oklahoma, he worked his way from low-budget movies (The Worm Eaters) until landing an internship and eventual job at Hanna-Barbera Studios in the storyboard department. He worked on many animated shows and graduated to directing and producing as well as continuing storyboarding at several major studios, including Universal, Walt Disney, Scholastic, and Berlin Film Company. He won an Emmy for TaleSpin in 1991. After moving back to Oklahoma in 2001, he designed sets for theaters and worked as a freelance storyboard artist and illustrator until discovering yet another passion—teaching--when he was hired as an instructor in 3D Modeling and Animation in the Visual Communications program at Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Larry thrived on sharing his knowledge and experience with his students and inspiring a new generation of artists and animators and felt he had finally found his calling in teaching. He created the popular webcomic LOVECRAFT IS MISSING in 2009 and attracted many devoted followers. As Larry said, "I enjoy putting my own unadulterated work out there for people to respond to. If it’s good, then it’s because of what I’ve done, and if it’s bad, then I’m ready to take my lumps. But there’s no wondering how it might have worked if only I could have done what I wanted, rather than what I was told to do." He was a consummate storyteller and wrote several works of fiction and non-fiction, obtaining a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree from National University in San Diego in 2012. A celebration of his life will be held on November 21, 11:00 a.m. at the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa. Larry requested that friends consider donations in lieu of flowers to one or more of the many causes he supported: Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, Humane Society of Tulsa, The Ned Hockman Filmmaking Award Fund at Oklahoma University, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Make-a-Wish Foundation, or any of the mission projects of Boston Avenue United Methodist Church. The family wishes to thank dear friends Patricia and Jorge Rodriguez for generously opening their home to Larry, family and friends, allowing Larry to spend his final hours on this earth peacefully in a familiar cherished setting filled with love.

Tributes

Larry Edward Latham

November 6, 2014