Larry Gene Dunlap

Larry Gene Dunlap, 73, of Wright City, Missouri, passed away peacefully at his home on February 27, 2024.

Larry was born on July 11, 1950, to Vestal Eugene Dunlap and Lois Arlone Dunlap in Saint Charles, Missouri. After Larry graduated from Saint Charles High in 1968, he joined the United States Army and served for two years and attended the NCO Academy. He was honorably discharged as an E5 Sergeant.

Larry went on to study construction and design at Three Rivers Community College, skills that would serve him later as he drew plans in his career as a home builder.

In 1971, Larry Dunlap met Diana Urich at church although he remembered seeing her many years before. Larry and Diana married in 1973 and went on to have three children, Jennifer, Jeffrey, and Julia.

A talented builder, Larry created beautiful homes for more than 45 years. He and his brother, Steve, worked together for many of those years and won a Homer award for a Jefferson Davis replica that they built in Huntington Forest in Saint Charles, Missouri. He employed several family members and trained many others through the years. During the five years of his semi-retirement, he and Diana worked on many projects together including full remodels. Due to the great number of homes that he built and the nature of his work, Larry and Diana lived in 34 different homes in their 50 years of marriage.

Larry had a beautiful voice, singing at church, and at weddings and funerals, with Diana and his daughters. He was also a talented musician who played the trombone, harmonica, fiddle, and banjo. 

Larry and Diana enjoyed traveling and spent a lot of time together during retirement at their cabin in Fairdealing, Missouri. In 2014, they enjoyed traveling to Israel together. Through the years, they traveled with family members and friends on a cruise to Mexico and enjoyed vacations to Washington D.C., Salt Lake City, Tennessee, South Dakota, Wyoming, Florida, and Mackinac Island.

Larry was preceded in death by his father Vestal “Gene” Dunlap, his mother Lois Dunlap, and his brother Danny Rideout. He is survived by his loving wife Diana Dunlap, daughter Jennifer (Lesh) Johnson, son Jeffrey (Amber) Dunlap, daughter Julia Johnson, son-in-law Jean-Guy Johnson, and grandchildren Jocelyn Johnson, Jonah Johnson, Jean Claire Johnson, Jude Johnson, Leah Dunlap, Sadie Dunlap, Joel Johnson, Jace Johnson and Jesse Johnson, brother Steven (Cindy) Dunlap, and sister-in-law Carol Rideout.

The visitation and service will both be held at Baue Funeral Home (Cave Springs) located at 3950 W Clay, Saint Charles, Missouri. A private family visitation will take place on Monday, March 4, from 4-5PM followed by a public visitation from 5-8PM. A celebration of life service will be held on Tuesday, March 5, at 12PM with a public visitation preceding from 11AM–12PM. Interment to follow the service at Baue Memorial Gardens in Saint Charles. If donations are preferred in lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Family Church of Lake Saint Louis at: https://www.familychurch.net/give