Larry Anthony Denneau

Larry Anthony Denneau, 87, a dedicated husband and father, doting grandfather, and fiercely proud US Navy veteran of the Vietnam War, died peacefully at his Tucson home on May 26, 2026. He was with his beloved wife Chris when he passed.

Larry was born in 1939 in Oconto, Wisconsin, the son of Milfred Denneau and Margaret Champagne. Larry and his siblings were raised at St. Joseph’s Orphans’ Home until his teenage years, when he and his older brother Ralph moved to Muncie, Indiana where they both graduated from high school at Muncie Central. Larry and Ralph soon joined the US Armed Forces — Ralph with the Marines and Larry with the Navy. Larry served in the Vietnam War in the late 1960s and met his future wife Chris in Da Nang, Vietnam; shortly afterward, they began raising their two sons Larry Jr. and Neil.

Larry was an active, involved father who loved to join in the neighborhood dodgeball or football game, or help with the local Cub Scout Pack and kids’ soccer team. In 1977, Larry completed his final Navy assignment in Hawaii, then retired from the Navy and moved his family to Tucson, Arizona, his home for the rest of his life.  Larry worked for several decades as a computer operator for Newmont Mining Corp. and University Medical Center (UMC). His sons Larry Jr. and Neil graduated from Flowing Wells High School and attended the University of Arizona and Pima Community College, respectively.

After retiring from UMC, Larry and Chris’s lives were upended when they were able to contact Chris’s first child, Ly, who was living in Vietnam with her husband Hach and three young children. Larry and Chris helped Ly’s family emigrate to the US, and over the next 30 years, Larry loved and supported his stepdaughter, her husband and the newly adopted grandchildren. 

In retirement, Larry was a fixture as a volunteer at Richardson and Hendricks Elementary Schools in their neighborhood. Larry was known for his exuberant personality and generosity when working with teachers and kids. He was famous for reading Dr. Seuss and other books in full costume. As with his family, he had boundless energy and patience and never said “no” when others needed help.

When not volunteering, Larry loved to take the family on weekend excursions in southern Arizona, where he enjoyed exploring the outdoors, with Mount Lemmon and the Chiracahuas being some of his favorite places.  On many weekends, you could find Larry and Chris fishing at Silverbell Lake or on a road trip to view the wildflowers along I-10. During his sunset years, Larry enjoyed simply spending time at home playing peek-aboo with his great-grandkids.

Larry was predeceased by his parents Milfred and Margaret, his sister Connie, and his brother Ralph (Mary).  He is survived by sister Sharon (Joe) Renard and brother Russell (Barbara) Denneau; sons Larry (Maureen) Denneau and Neil (Elizabeth) Denneau and stepdaughter Huong Nguyen (“Ly”, husband Hach); nieces Kelly Percy, Tami (Michael) Dal Santo and Kelly (Russ) Bowling, and nephew Randy (Paula) Willman; grandchildren Cole Denneau, Thanh Ha (David) Tran, Jack (Jennifer) Tran, and Ky (Nikki) Tran; and greatgrandchildren Apollo Tran and Lana and Dylan Nguyen.

Services will be private