Larry Eugene Brusseau

Larry Eugene Brusseau, 74, of Athens passed away peacefully on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, at his home after a nearly two-year battle with cancer.

Larry was born on June 26, 1950, in Bloomsburg, Pa. He graduated from Bloomsburg High School in 1968, where he was a member of the golf team. He attended college at Bloomsburg University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1972.

During his senior year of college, Larry began dating his future wife, Margie. They were engaged in June of 1972 and married later that year on Sept. 23, 1972.

He then enlisted in the U.S. Navy and he and Margie moved to San Diego, Calif., where Larry completed boot camp and was chosen as Honor Man of his unit. He then attended training to become a payroll dispersing clerk, second class, for the Navy – a role that continued throughout his enlistment. Larry and Margie were stationed in Norfolk, Va., until he was honorably discharged in August of 1976. While living in Norfolk, Larry and Margie began their family with the birth of their son, Michael, on June 1, 1974.

Upon Larry’s discharge from the Navy, the couple returned to their hometown of Bloomsburg, Pa. Margie continued her nursing career while Larry returned to Bloomsburg University and became one of the first two students in the school’s history to earn a master’s degree in business administration. He took a position as financial manager at Confair’s Beverage Company in Berwick, Pa.

Larry and Margie bought their first home and began to grow their family with the birth of Andrew on Aug. 3, 1977. Their youngest son, Steven, was born on June 23, 1979, which completed their family.

In August of 1981, the family relocated to Clearwater, Fla., where Larry and Margie’s three boys spent their formative years.

Always a very close family, the Brusseaus spent many summers enjoying vacations together and returning to Pennsylvania to spend time with their extended family. Especially memorable were countless trips to Tampa and Orlando theme parks, where the family frequently held season passes.

Larry spent the majority of his career as a letter carrier for the U.S. Post Office in Largo, Fla., retiring in July 2002 after 16 years of service. Upon his retirement, Larry and Margie moved to Athens, where Margie was hired as chief nursing officer for Athens/Starr Regional Medical Center. The couple’s son and daughter-in-law, Mike and Carrie, had previously moved to Knoxville to pursue their respective careers. Margie continued her career for the next 14 years, while Larry became a proud “house husband.” Eventually, the couple’s other two sons, Andy and Steve, followed their family to Tennessee. The Brusseaus always had a fondness for East Tennessee, having spent many of their vacations in this part of the country.

The Brusseaus then began to add to their family, beginning with the birth of Mike and Carrie’s first child, Nathan, in February 2005. Mike and Carrie welcomed twin daughters, Taylor and Chelsie, to the world in March 2011. The family continued to grow when Steve and his then-wife, Kerri, gave birth to a daughter, Hannah, in July 2013 and a son, Connor, in February 2018. The Brusseaus treasured their family Christmases and the birth of Larry and Margie’s five grandchildren expanded the annual celebration to a new generation.

Family vacations would always hinge on Larry’s precise planning and dedication to every element of the trip. He had a passion for collecting information about a vacation destination by way of travel brochures (his treasured pamphlets, which he collected wherever they were available). Once Larry discovered the internet, it opened a whole new world of travel research, as he was often found at his computer surfing through hotel booking and local attraction websites.

Among Larry’s greatest loves was music. He had an extensive album and CD collection, mostly comprised of blues and classic rock.

With the exception of his family, Larry loved nothing more than a good meal. On any of the family’s many vacations, he would have already scouted out dozens of possible destinations for a meal.

Larry and Margie and often other members of their family enjoyed 21 different cruises. This was Larry’s preferred means of travel, particularly the abundance of restaurants and buffets on the ships. The couple traveled extensively throughout the United States and Larry had a soft spot for Wisconsin, where he and Margie visited three times. Their international travels took them to Europe, Canada, Mexico and Central America. In Europe, they visited the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Croatia and several other destinations. Larry spoke often of their trip to Spain, where they toured the country on a two-week road trip with their beloved nieces, Maggie and Kelly.

Above all, Larry valued his marriage to the love of his life, Margie. Upon her retirement in 2016, the couple had plans to travel the world throughout their golden years. Sadly, less than two years later, Margie contracted multiple myeloma cancer and fought through multiple treatments until being declared in remission in April 2019. Margie’s mobility became limited during and after her cancer treatment and Larry took tremendous pride in being her caregiver.

The couple then resumed making plans to travel the world and were able to have several nice vacations prior to Larry’s diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in November 2022. Larry began rigorous treatment, but continued to prioritize Margie’s care over his own.

He was preceded in death by his son, Steven Brusseau, who died unexpectedly just eight days before Larry on July 31, 2024; his parents, Aldama and Margaret Brusseau; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Harold and Ruth Price; and his beloved brother-in-law, Harold “Froggy” Price Jr.

Survivors include his loving wife of nearly 52 years, Margie Brusseau of Athens; his son, Michael Brusseau, his wife, Carrie, who is like a daughter to Larry and Margie, and their children, Nathan Brusseau and twins Taylor and Chelsie Brusseau, all of Knoxville; his son, Andrew Brusseau of Athens; his grandchildren, Hannah and Connor Brusseau, and their mother, Kerri Conklin, all of Knoxville; his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Patti and Dan Wilson of Charlottesville, Va.; his sister-in-law, Sharon Price of Bloomsburg, Pa.; his niece, Maggie Clark, her husband, Steve, and their daughter, Caitlin, all of Leesburg, Va.; his niece, Kelly Kipps, her husband, Andrew, and their son, Theodore, all of New Market, Va.; his niece, Julie Allen, and her son, Zachary, both of Bloomsburg, Pa.; his nephew, Jeffrey Price, and his sons, Hunter and Reid, all of Bloomsburg, Pa.; and many other family members and friends.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, Aug. 17, at 7 p.m. at Laycock-Hobbs Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. prior to the service.

The family will hold a private graveside service at Cedar Grove Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org/donate.html

Condolences may be sent to https://www.laycock-hobbs.com/obituaries/larry-brusseau

Laycock-Hobbs Funeral Home of Athens is in charge of arrangements.