Larry Greenwood

A memorial service celebrating the life of Larry Carl Greenwood, 81, will be held Saturday, April 26 at 10:30 a.m. at the Cleveland First Assembly of God Church. Rev. Dan Edens and Rev. Cody Davis will officiate. Larry passed away Wednesday, April 23, following a very brief battle with cancer.

Born August 20, 1943, in Hominy, OK, he was the first child of Tallie and Melba Greenwood. Larry grew up in Cleveland, and attended Cleveland Public Schools, graduating with the Class of 1961. While in school, he played football and basketball, ran track, and was a Golden Glove boxer.

Following graduation, Larry accepted a scholarship to play football at the University of Oklahoma. He also attended Southwestern Oklahoma State University, where he was on the Dean’s Honor Roll. He earned his Associate Degree in Occupational Safety from Tulsa Community College.

Never one to be idle, Larry’s strong work ethic was evident throughout his career. One of his first jobs was working for Frank and Sybil Blake at the Dari Diner. After college, he was accepted into the Tulsa Police Academy, graduating with the Class of 1969. As a certified peace officer, Larry worked with police departments in Tulsa, Tonkawa, and Edmond, he served as the Inola Chief of Police and was a member of the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Department. Larry also owned a security company for many years, a cleaning company, and concluded his career in sales.

Service was also a priority for Larry. He served briefly in the United States Air Force receiving an honorable discharge, served the residents of Ward 2 on the Cleveland City Council, was president of the Triangle Museum from 1998 to 2009, and served as president of the Cleveland Community Service Center from 2002 until his death.He was an active member of the Cleveland First Assembly of God Church where he served on the governing board and was a Sunday School teacher for many years.

A gifted storyteller, his wit and humor were a constant entertainment for his family and many friends. Laughter and good-natured joking were usually parts of any conversation with Larry.

On May 15, 1982, Larry was united in marriage to Mona Lynn Burrow in Tulsa, and they made their home in Cleveland for the remainder of his life. Throughout his life, Larry enjoyed gardening, spending time in the couple’s RV on Grand Lake, and making many trips to Branson.

Larry is survived by Mona, of the home, his son Cody Greenwood and wife Mandy of Kansas City, KS, daughter Amy Sullivan and husband Sonny, of Chelsea, six grandchildren, Kayla Sullivan of Chelsea, Bethany Sullivan, of Beatrice, NE, Drew, Rory, Ellie, and Sean Sullivan all of Chelsea. He is also survived by two sisters, Lynn Bennett and husband Richard of Yukon, OK, and Cheryl Allen of Cleveland.

Larry is preceded in death by his parents, his brother Bradley, brother-in-law Mike Allen, and his mother-in-law Sue Burrow.

Honorary pallbearers are Bob Henderson, Rev. Dan Edens, Richard Bennett, Joe Chandler, Joe Griffin, Mike Goodson, and Ron Mohr.

The family requests memorials be made in Larry’s name to St. Jude’s Research Hospital and the Salvation Army.

Chapman-Black Funeral Home will be handling the arrangements. Friends and family may visit an online guest book and memorial page for Larry at www.chapman-black.com.