The Chicago Bears and Cubbies lost a loyal fan on January 20, 2026 when Larry E. Harter, 79, of Girard formerly of Grove City and later Mechanicsburg where he spent forty-three years of his life on and around the banks of the Sangamon River, finally booked a tee time to play the fairways made of gold where there is always a perfect lie. Larry was born on November 30, 1946 on a warm sunny Saturday perfect for a quick nine at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield to James Lawrence Harter and Ada Ann Hamm Harter who both preceded him in death in 1996 and 2020 respectively. Larry grew up surrounded by hundreds of cousins with hundreds of nicknames throughout the rural area of Christian and Sangamon counties. He was baptized in the waters of the Sangamon River at a young age and raised in a Christian home, with his two brothers: one older, Jim (Vi) Harter of Buffalo and one younger, David (Josie) Harter of rural Mechanicsburg who all survive him and gave him many nieces and nephews and great and great-great nieces and nephews. He attended elementary school at Mount Auburn Township School through seventh grade when he moved to rural Mechanicsburg and attended Mechanicsburg Grade School for his eighth grade year. He graduated high school in 1964 from Buffalo Tri-City Community Unit School, the first consolidated school district in Illinois history. He was an athlete for the Tornadoes competing in multiple track and field events including becoming the 1964 Sangamon County Decathlon Champion. He was also a catcher for the baseball team which he pursued after high school when he tried out for the Kansas City Athletics. He did not make it to the show, which was good because later in 1964 at the Icy Root Beer Drive-In on North Grand Avenue, he met the love of his life, Delores Jean Wilson, who he leaves heart-broken. He proposed to her on New Year’s Eve, 1965 at the old Babe and Jim’s Tavern in Springfield, and they were married on July 31, 1966 at the Roby Christian Church. Following the ceremony, the couple cruised around in a friend’s convertible making his flat top crooked in all their wedding photos. Delores has five siblings and Larry leaves them all surviving: Dwight (Debbie) Wilson of Crossville, Mary (Gary) Cates of Carmi, Robert (Kris) Lindon of Naperville, Denise (Larry) Burnett of Crossville, and Donna (Ken) Reeder of Fort Branch, Indiana who gave him many more nieces, nephews, and great and great-great nieces and nephews. Larry and Delores started their life in a small home in Roby with a 1964 Ford Mustang and their beloved poodle, Susie, and where they welcomed their first daughter, Michele Leann (Darren) Barnes of Girard before buying their first home in Mechanicsburg on the corner of Church and South streets. A few years later, a second daughter was born, Marsha Kay (Stephen) Humphrey of Crossville. His two girls were the apples of his eye, and they simply adored their Dad.

Right after high school, Larry worked at various filling stations, but spent the largest majority of his working years as a Materials Specialist at Caterpillar Tractor Company in Decatur retiring in 1996. He spent thirty years working for Cat where he was a strong United Auto Workers union member serving in various union positions throughout his tenure including Grievance Chair. He fought tirelessly for strong contracts, fair wages, and family insurance spending time proudly walking the picket line when the company would not budge. He was a staunch believer in labor laws and fair compensation for laborers, ideals he taught his daughters who are both current proud union members. When the company was on strike or just for supplemental income, Larry tended bar and worked security at the St. Nicholas Hotel and Tumbleweed Tavern in Springfield, The Sandbar in rural Mechanicsburg, and various bars, The Pitstops, owned by his brother Jim in Buffalo, Dawson, and Illiopolis. He was also the owner and operator of Harter Roofing. He was a dedicated worker and never failed in providing all his family needed. After his retirement from Cat, Larry coached the high school girls’ softball team at Illiopolis High School where he also drove a bus. He later coached youth boys’ baseball at Riverton. When he moved to Girard, he spent time coaching his grandson’s youth basketball team, and drove a bus for the Girard then later North Mac School District until his retirement.

When Larry hung up his track and baseball cleats after high school, he drove stock cars and super-modifieds at Shaheen’s Springfield Speedway and Macon Speedway as well as Farmer City Raceway on quarter-mile dirt tracks. Racing was a large part of Larry’s family life. Most weekends in the spring, summer, and fall were spent at the speedways with his brothers and father in the pit with him and wife and daughters cheering him on from the stands. The night three American astronauts landed on the moon for the first time, Larry was at Shaheen’s. He fondly remembered the track announcer stopping the race to tell the crowd there were men walking on the moon. Larry’s father looked up at the moon and said, “I don’t see anyone; let’s race.” And race they did well into their senior years when they switched to racing go-carts at Harterville Speedway, a hobby his daughter, Marsha, joined. Larry and Delores also spent years playing on a bowling league at Strike and Spare Lanes, shooting shuffleboard, and playing pool. Larry was always an avid outdoorsman spending any free time he had fishing, hunting, and playing golf. He spent time as a professional bass fisherman which gave him the opportunity to meet Bill Dance, his bass fishing hero. He harvested multiple trophy bucks in his day and netted many prize winning bass and one very cranky Muskie weighing in at thirty-four pounds, six ounces and measuring fifty inches long which at the time was the record at Otter Lake and the third largest ever caught in the state of Illinois. When he was not hunting or fishing, he was playing golf and in the summer of 2018 represented the state of Illinois in the National Senior Olympics, an experience he shared with his son-in-law, Stephen. He had a loyal and dedicated group of hunting and golfing buddies who he traveled the state and country with to hunt and play golf including many of whom have been waiting for him at the tee box. Terry Park was his home course and the men and ladies there took wonderful care of him towards the end of his life bringing him a golf cart as soon as they saw him pull into the parking lot. Golf was a game he shared with both daughters and sons-in-law and his grandchildren. They carry from him his greatest belief which he shared with them often: the worst day on the golf course is still better than the best day at work.

Larry and Delores treasured their grandchildren: Aryn Lindsay (Matt) Peregrin and Alex Lindon (Miranda) Barnes both of Virden, Faith Iris Harter Hohman of Carmi, Cora Michele Harter Humphrey of Crossville, and Cadee Kay Harter Humphrey of Fort Branch, Indiana. The couple were blessed even more when they became great-grandparents with the births of Aryn and Matt’s three daughters: Emersyn Kate, Adelyn Josephine, Ryleigh Jane, and will soon have one more when Alex and Miranda’s Baby Barnes is born in May.

Larry was a wonderful husband, dad, and grandpa and was quite active in all his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren’s lives. There was nothing he would not do for his family or a friend. His family will miss their Hon, Dad, Grandpa, Pa, and Great-Grandpa Larry very much, and he leaves a hole in the hearts of many and will be remembered fondly.

Services for Larry will be held Saturday, January 24 at 3:00 p.m. at the Davis-Anderson Funeral Home in Girard with the Pastor Scott Bayles officiating.

Friends may visit from 12:30 p.m. until the time of the service. Burial will be at Union Chapel Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made to Terry Park Golf Course for the purchase of a bench for weary golfers to rest during their round because Larry understood the plight of a golfer and would love the opportunity to offer a seat and some advice during a difficult round.

Donations can be mailed to Davis-Anderson Funeral Home in Girard or brought to the funeral home on the day of the service.