Lawrence Monahan

Lawrence Joseph Monahan, 74, of Indianapolis passed away March 19, 2013. Larry was born in Indianapolis on March 17, 1939 and grew up on the west side with his mother Anna and sister, Rita. Upon eighth grade graduation from Christ the King, Larry went away to school in Wisconsin to start his seminary prep study with the intention of becoming a Catholic priest. Larry completed his BA in Philosophy at Divine Word College in Techny, Illinois. Becoming fluent in German, he continued his seminary studies in Bonn, Germany where he taught religion classes to the children of the diplomats at the American embassy. Deciding to discontinue his seminary studies after two years, he returned to live in Indianapolis for the first time in approximately 14 years. When family members arranged a blind date, little did he know he was about to meet the love of his life. Larry and Donna were married July 15, 1967 at St. Anthony's. The newlyweds moved to Bloomington where Larry completed his Master's degree in European History from Indiana University the next year. The birth of their first child, Lawrence Patrick on March 28, 1969, was bittersweet. "Little Larry", as he was affectionately called, passed away two weeks later on April 14th. Larry then applied to the State Department, desiring to get into diplomatic work. With his background in international studies, foreign languages and history, Larry obtained an interview with the CIA in Langley, VA. Disappointingly, the timing wasn't right. The CIA was forced into a hiring freeze that year, due to the Vietnam War. Larry's work then relocated the young couple to Sandusky, Ohio, where they had Ann, Christine and Kimberlee over the next several years. Relocating again in 1979, the family moved to Lima, Ohio, where the last two children, David and Laura were born. Eventually, work brought the family back to Indianapolis where Larry and Donna saw all of the children finish school, and Larry worked for many years as a Human Resource Manager. After he retired, Larry spent his time doing HR consulting work, teaching at Indiana Wesleyan and Ivy Tech Universities, working at Kelly Services, and being a grandfather to his two grandchildren. Larry had a passion for life and loved to laugh. He enjoyed traveling, photography, dancing, and reading. He was a life-long learner and enjoyed studying foreign languages, world history, politics and religion. The main focus of his life was always his family and his faith. In spite of the demands of being the sole bread-winner for a large family, he always managed to attend his children's school events- from choir performances to gymnastics meets, football games to school plays and volleyball games, etc. Although a humble man, he was known to brag incessantly about his five children. Ever-optimistic, he was supportive and reassuring to his children and was always there to help. He was the rock of the Monahan family. The perfect example of how a great father should be, he was a godly, Christ-centered man who led by example and always made sure to tell his children how much he loved them. Characteristically, his favorite moments over the last years were the times when all the family was together. His last days were spent celebrating his 74th St. Patrick's Day birthday with his family in true Irish style. Larry was ecstatic to learn that evening that another grandbaby was on the way. Thankfully, he had a chance to talk with each of his children that weekend and tell them he loved them one last time. He is preceded in death by his son, Lawrence Patrick Monahan and son in law, David Vaillancourt. He is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Donna J. Monahan, to whom he married in 1967; children, Ann M. (Tony) Mucci, Christine L. Vaillancourt, Kimberlee J. (Matthew) Whitson, David L. (Sarah) Monahan and Laura J. Monahan; 2 grandchildren, Luke A. and Andrew D. Whitson and sister, Rita (Mike) Kottkamp. Visitation will be held on Sunday, March 24 from 10 am - 2 pm in Stevens Mortuary, 5520 W. 10th St., Indpls. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, March 25 at 11:30 am with visitation from 10:30 am in St. Christopher Catholic Church, 5301 W. 16th St., Speedway. Interment will follow in Calvary Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to: Indiana Right to Life, 9465 Counselors Row, STE 200, Indianapolis, IN 46240-3817.