Saturday, July 29, 2023
A Tribute to the Life of Larry Heard
The song ‘You’ve Got to Stand For Something’ by Aaron Tippin beautifully captures Larry’s
philosophy on life:
‘He'd say, you've got to stand for something, or you'll fall for anything. You've got to be your own
man, not a puppet on a string. Never compromise what's right and uphold your family name.’
….and for that, Larry did! As you know, Larry was a man of his word. He was proud, loyal, kind,
and always stood up for what he believed to be right. He was truly one of a kind, and has left a
meaningful legacy for his family to uphold.
Larry was born on April 9, 1957 to Cyril and Mary Heard as the second eldest of five sons.
Growing up with four brothers on the family farm southwest of Abbey, Saskatchewan, resulted
in a fulfilling childhood. There were few dull moments, with many stories being shared over the
years of Larry sneaking to town with his motorbike, burning rubber on the main streets of Abbey,
and pranking his dad with water-filled boots while working in the family dairy barn. It's only later
that Larry would understand what his parents endured with five boys when he would eventually
end up with three of his own that didn’t fall too far from the tree!
On a chilly December day in 1977, Larry went to Leader, Saskatchewan to renew his license.
He came out of the office with not only a renewed license, but a future bride! Larry knew that
Marilyn was the love of his life, and the perfect fit for the life he had been dreaming of. The two
of them tied the knot on January 12th, 1979, with no discernment of the life and legacy that they
would create together. Marilyn and Larry shared many adventures together including auction
sales, traveling, farming, skiing, bonspiels, and fishing; but the most amazing adventure of all
was raising their three boys; Travis, Wyatt, and Cody. In the words of his loving wife, “We just
loved being together, laughing, working, or just being. We had good times and we had hard
times, but it never really mattered. What mattered was that we were together – raising our boys.
Dad loved his boys beyond measure.”
Although a farm boy through and through, Larry had a wide range of interests that kept him
connected to his family and community. He volunteered as a minor hockey coach in Abbey,
spent forty years as a bus driver for Abbey and Cabri, raised pigs and cattle, worked on land
reclamation, and built ice roads. However, there was one interest in particular that Larry became
particularly passionate about - the combine. Larry will be forever known far and wide as the
genuine guy with the extensive collection of combines! In 1994, the Heard’s Combine Salvage
was established when Larry brought his first combine home from auction - a 914 IH. This was
the first of many to his collection. As the years went by, Larry became well known and respected
as a combine guru, and was never one to miss an auction. Whether it is the sound of Larry’s
voice bellowing down the stairs as a 5:30am wake up call to hit the road to the auction, or the
smell of a smokie on a bun with extra onions and drenched in butter, the fond memories the
boys’ have of auction days with their dad will be life-long cherished memories.
The salvage business venture was intended as a way to make ends meet, however, his boys
recall many fond memories, life lessons, and friendly competitions while working endless hours
alongside their dad. There was always a competition being had on who could remove parts
faster than dad – It was never without a few minor bumps and bruises along the way- but on the
rare occasion - it could be done! The playing field was always tipped into Larry's corner with his
years’ of experience to heat, pull, hammer, or cut something just right. Somehow he was able to
use those pipe-wrench arms and mitts for hands to get into the most tricky spaces - never failing
to to get a part just right; no matter how impossible the task.
Family and farming kept Larry busy, but he always made the time to pass his knowledge down
to his boys. He understood it was his fatherly duty to bestow the qualities of hard work,
dedication, and perseverance. As his eldest son, Travis, stated when asked to recall his
favourite memories, “I can’t just pick one memory, because they were all special, however,
anytime we were hunting, fishing, or fixing something – you could be sure that you were going
to learn something, or be told that you aren’t using the right fishing hook! Other times, it was a
challenge to see if I could shoot as good as him.”
If you ever had the opportunity to hunt with Larry - I think we could all agree on a few things:
apricot brandy is mandatory, be prepared to be heckled, and by god - hope you do not get a
dummy mark as you will never live it down! Every autumn you could count on the sight of Larry’s
farm truck circling tree bluffs around Abbey and beyond in search of his next wild game! Larry
enjoyed hunting equally as much as his wife dreaded the sound of having ‘prairie chicken’ or
‘moose’ for supper! Larry taught each of his boys to shoot at a young age in which they, too,
caught the hunting bug. As his youngest son, Cody, recalls “I can still remember shooting my
first mule deer with Dad when I was twelve. Dad was heckling me about not missing when I
made a 200 yard shot on a doe right in the heart. He responded with ‘lucky shot!’ - we were both
excited. Hunting with Dad was never about hunting for us, I don't think, it was more of a bonding
time to just talk about anything and everything…and hoping the other would miss their next shot
so you could take it for them!” In October of 2022, Larry enjoyed a final hunting trip with his boys
to bring home his last big game: bull moose.
Larry loved his Fords just about as much as he enjoyed bantering with his brothers, neighbours,
and boys between which was best: Ford or Chevy. He always liked to think that he won in these
banters. In case anyone would forget, Larry had a Ford Dealership sign installed in his yard to
remind everyone well after he was gone as to which was best! So all you Chevy drivers be
warned- if your Chevy ever stalls in his farmyard – it will be Larry sending a final jab that you
should have purchased a Ford!
Many card games were played around the table at the Heard farm over the years. Larry enjoyed
catching up with friends, neighbors, and family alike over a social drink and game of cards. The
sound of Larry’s sausage fingers tapping on the table in a game of Fire during the first round of
pickup would be enough to give anyone a quick jolt of anxiety! If you’ve ever played with the
Heard’s - you also know that no game is played ‘for fun’! The sound of loonies hitting the soup
bowl for payment of a lost round, or the sound of Larry’s voice bellering “Gramma!...” while
shaking his head in disbelief when his wife picked up the wrong card will always hold good
memories. Cards were a sense of gathering, bonding, and a sure time to be heckled during the
holidays. Larry’s middle son, Wyatt, always looked forward to the Sunday afternoon Rookie
games at the farm. He states, "After everyone would go home - Dad would always ask ‘Wanna
play a game of Rookie?’ You knew it was never just going to be one game - we usually didn't
get out of there until 7:00pm! That piggy (his piggy bank) was always getting a belly ache from
being dumped upside down.” Larry will always get the last laugh, however, as their last Rookie
match they played on April 16th against Wyatt and his wife, he and Marilyn won two out their
three games - taking that big money off of Wyatt for once!
Of all the many hats that Larry wore, the gentlest and most tender hat was that of “grandpa” and
“papa”. After all those years of roughhousing on the farm, God blessed Larry with a slough of
little grandchildren - complete with cowboy boots, pigtails and the ability to wrap themselves
around grandpa’s not-so-little finger. Marilyn states that Larry always said, “even if we only had
sons, someday in the end, we would get the girls too.” And did he ever! Three daughter-in-laws,
two grandsons, and four granddaughters later, he sure got his girls. Each of the six
grandchildren had a very unique relationship with their grandpa. From teaching them how to
shoot their first gun, being their biggest fan at their sporting events, to countless hours of
combine rides around the field with a dead phone due to cartoons - he was there for it all (all
while having the best smelling pits in the country!). The titles Grandpa and Papa were a badge
of honor that he wore very proudly. A wise girl recently said “Papa will always be at the farm.
There will always be one chair for Papa. No one else can sit in it (or fill it)” . The impact that he
had on his grandkids will be forever felt and cherished. May they never forget how much he
loved each and every one of them.
Larry was not one to back down from a tough situation, so he naturally endured his cancer
battle with courage and grit. No matter how strenuous was at times, his passion for farming was
in his heart up until the end. Even while he was sick, Larry would not stay off the combine! He’d
always be found checking the crops, in the field running the combine, or trying his best to help
the boys fix the equipment. No matter what he endured, he always remained humble, kind, and
perfected his great sense of wit within the last two weeks of his life (which kept his nurses
giggling!). The last few years have been very hard. Knowing he had so much to live for, Larry
fought his best fight and endured a courageous battle with cancer. He passed away peacefully
on July 20th, 2023.
Larry will be lovingly remembered by many, but none as much as his soul mate, Marilyn. Larry
will be forever loved and honoured as the love of her life. Marilyn’s tireless and unwavering
devotion has been a true example of unconditional love. She stood by his side not only through
his incredible life journey, but was there by his side until the very end. Their love story has been
an inspiration to all of those lucky enough to know the Heard’s.
Now in true Larry fashion - he would tell us all to stop crying and pull those lips back in before a
bird shits on them! Let’s all raise a toast to Larry this afternoon and celebrate the man that left
one hell of a life, and an even bigger legacy!
