Larry Hohler Obituary

Larry Hohler

Jan 30, 1943 - May 13, 2022

Port Jefferson, New York

Larry Hohler, 79, of Port Jefferson, New York and formerly of Milan, passed away Friday, May 13, 2022, at his home on Long Island, New York.

Larry was born Jan. 30, 1943, the second of three sons born to Clifford and Marie Shafts Hohler.

Larry was a high school social studies teacher for Smithtown Central School District on Long Island for 33 years, retiring in 1999. He was a 1961 graduate of Milan High School, where he was a boy scout, President of Future Farmers of America club, editor and illustrator of the high school year book, a sketch artist, and a cartoonist. He was a frequent writer of newspaper articles, a decent photographer, a planter of trees and maintainer of an historical apple orchard, and an Appalachian Trail "thru-hiker" -having covered from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, to just north of Hanover, New Hampshire.

Larry was an intrepid world traveler, and in 1975, while on sabbatical leave, he successfully scaled both Mt. Kenya in Kenya and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. He hitchhiked from Zambia to Capetown, South Africa and back. With his wife, he taught English and history at a secondary school in Meru, Kenya for a year. He was an Ohio State Stadium Scholarship Dormitory Alumni and a proud Buckeye. Larry was also a 1951 Studebaker owner and classic car lover. He was a long-distance bicyclist and was especially fond of his patient biking buddies. He was a gardener, a naturalist, and a custodian of the environment. He was a Habitat for Humanity volunteer, promoter, and Board member, a canoeist, a frequent blood donor, an avid New York Mets fan, a maintainer of Port Jefferson-Setauket Greenway, an avid reader of New York Times and histories, and a collector of all sorts of books. He was also a philanthropist. However more important than providing financial support to many worthy humanitarian and social causes, he gave himself to those in need and was always volunteering with the mantra "Need help? I'll be there."

While Larry served on many boards in his local community, his biggest "gift" to the world and primary legacy is the founding of Hope Children's Fund and an orphanage in Meru, Kenya. What started as a dream of one of Larry's students from Meru, Joseph Kirima, grew from a dream in 2000 to a life-changing reality for more than 100 homeless "street children" by 2022. Since this amazing success story may be hard to believe for some who did not know Larry, please go online and google "Hope Children's Fund, Ltd."

Larry is survived by two brothers, David and Dale Hohler; loving daughter, Nicole Marie Hohler; amazing and most patient wife of 54 years, Yvette Small Hohler; one brother-in-law; several sisters-in-law; and many nephews, nieces, and cousins.

A celebration of Larry's life will be 2-4 p.m. Sunday, July 17, 2022, at Wonder Bar, Milan.

For those interested in contributing to Larry's memory, a donation can be sent to Hope Children's Fund, PO Box 387, Setauket, New York, 11733.