Obituary of Dorothy Larry

Dorothy Larry of Mountaindale, NY, died Saturday, December 27, 2016 at the Catskill Regional Medical Center. She was 80. She was born June 8, 1936 in Philadelphia PA, the daughter of Moses Searles and Rev. Mary White. She moved to Mountaindale, NY in the late 1950s. She earned her Associates Degree with honors from SCCC, and her Insurance Brokers License from OCCC and worked at the Rhulen Insurance Agency as an insurance underwriter. She later earned her Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation, the premier designation in the property and casualty insurance industry. She left the Rhulens to work as a Library Clerk at SCCC, where she was able to indulge her love of books and learning. Dorothy was affiliated with several organizations. She adopted classes at the Fallsburg Elementary School; was a Cub Scout Den Mother; a member of the Mountaindale Summer Stock Company; a Sunday School teacher and superintendent at the Friendship Baptist Church in Ferndale, NY; a member of the Church of the Living God in Philadelphia, PA; belonged to the Woodland Weavers and Spinners Guild; was on the Board of Directors of the Community Action Commission to Help the Economy, Inc. (CACHE); a member of the Old Edgefield District Genealogical Society of Edgefield, SC, the Order of the Eastern Star, and was one of the founding members of the Sullivan County New York Chapter of the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History (ASALH). She is known throughout the region for her dramatic readings of African-American literature. Her awards include: a Certificate of Appreciation in 2011 for her work with CACHE, the 29th ASALH Annual Frederick Douglass Award in 2013, a Certificate of Merit from the New York State Assembly and a Sullivan County Legislature Certificate of Special Recognition in 2013 honoring her as the recipient of the Frederick Douglass Award. She is predeceased by her father, Moses Searles, her husband, Ike Larry, her daughter, Sandra Larry, and a granddaughter, Corina Larry. She is survived by her mother, Reverend Mary Elizabeth White; her three sons, Mark S. Larry (Cheryl), Lamont W. Larry (Belinda), and Raymond B. Larry; her grandchildren, Valarie Larry, Michelle Larry, Anthony Larry, and Trent Larry. She is also survived by several great-grandchildren and great great grandchildren. Family and friends are invited to gather on Saturday, January 7, 2017 from 2-4 pm at the VanInwegen-Kenny, Inc. Funeral Home, 401 Broadway in Monticello. Her funeral service will begin at 3pm at the funeral home. Arrangements are under the direction of the VanInwegen-Kenny, Inc. Funeral Home of Monticello NY; for additional information or to send an online condolence, please visit www.kennyfuneralhome.com