Larry Frederic Crans, 74, of Bigfork, died at Kalispell Regional Medical Center on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013.
Larry was born on May 10, 1938, in San Francisco to Alice Marie and Richard Crans. He grew up in California and New York where he enjoyed summers at Wolf Lake at his beloved grandmother's "camp." Larry graduated in 1960 from Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, Calif. He spent a year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., on a Naval ROTC scholarship, but decided engineering was not his path.
He joined the United States Air Force and was trained as a Russian language specialist at the Army Language School in Monterey, Calif. Larry was stationed in the 6901st Special Communications Group located in Zweibrucken, Germany. When discharged, he worked for a short time at National Security Agency (NSA).
He reconnected with Nancy Finch, whom he met through a friend at Wolf Lake after his year at RPI. They married in 1962 and relocated to California where Larry would complete his college degree. Their daughter, Kirsten, who presently resides in Lemont, Ill., was born in Castro Valley, where the family lived for 36 years.
Wife Nancy began teaching there and served for 27 years as principal at several elementary schools. Larry graduated in 1966 with a major in mathematics from California State University Hayward (now East Bay). He became the university's student records manager and then data processing manager for a multi-district data center consortium. That center evolved into the Alameda County Regional Data Processing Center where Larry was assistant director for technical systems, supervising programming, systems software development, accounting and payroll for all schools in the county with a combined enrollment of 100,000 students.
Larry left the center to form his own computing services business, providing mainframe, micro and personal computer database software. Clients included the renowned Chez Panisse restaurant, pioneering a point-of-sale data system, Organization Dynamics, designing analysis systems for management consulting, the Alameda, Napa, Berkeley and Oakland school districts, providing a media management/scheduling system, Hexel Corporation, focusing on business control systems and the Solano, Mid-Alameda and Contra Costa County Special Education consortia, developing an intervention monitoring system with state data reporting mechanisms.
Larry and Nancy visited Montana many times, knowing it was where they wished to retire. Larry designed and began construction of their new home in 1998 near Echo Lake in Bigfork.
Larry helped the Northwest Montana Educational Cooperative, where Nancy was serving as director, with student assessment analysis in reading, mathematics and writing. He worked with districts in the cooperative as they explored data warehouse systems. He participated as advisor to committees at the Office of Public Instruction, as they too were evaluating the implementation of statewide data services.
Larry loved living here in the valley with the Swan Range and Jewel Basin viewpoints from their front deck, and hiking trails just a few roads from their home. Glacier Park was a frequent destination. He enjoyed photography, gardening, cooking and, of course, using and exploring the Internet. Google was his friend.
Larry was preceded in death by his parents; his uncles, Claude Bonaparte and Russell Adams; and his beloved grandmother, Alice Bonaparte.
He is survived by his wife, Nancy, of Bigfork; aunt, Leatrice Adams, of Pahrump, Nev.; sister-in-law, Veronica Quandt, of Indianapolis; and many cousins, nephews and nieces.
Memorials may be sent to the American Cancer Society.
Friends are encouraged to visit the website at www.buffalohillfh.com to leave notes of condolence and memories. Buffalo Hill Funeral Home and Crematory is caring for the family.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Larry Crans, please visit our flower store.
Larry was born on May 10, 1938, in San Francisco to Alice Marie and Richard Crans. He grew up in California and New York where he enjoyed summers at Wolf Lake at his beloved grandmother's "camp." Larry graduated in 1960 from Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, Calif. He spent a year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., on a Naval ROTC scholarship, but decided engineering was not his path.
He joined the United States Air Force and was trained as a Russian language specialist at the Army Language School in Monterey, Calif. Larry was stationed in the 6901st Special Communications Group located in Zweibrucken, Germany. When discharged, he worked for a short time at National Security Agency (NSA).
He reconnected with Nancy Finch, whom he met through a friend at Wolf Lake after his year at RPI. They married in 1962 and relocated to California where Larry would complete his college degree. Their daughter, Kirsten, who presently resides in Lemont, Ill., was born in Castro Valley, where the family lived for 36 years.
Wife Nancy began teaching there and served for 27 years as principal at several elementary schools. Larry graduated in 1966 with a major in mathematics from California State University Hayward (now East Bay). He became the university's student records manager and then data processing manager for a multi-district data center consortium. That center evolved into the Alameda County Regional Data Processing Center where Larry was assistant director for technical systems, supervising programming, systems software development, accounting and payroll for all schools in the county with a combined enrollment of 100,000 students.
Larry left the center to form his own computing services business, providing mainframe, micro and personal computer database software. Clients included the renowned Chez Panisse restaurant, pioneering a point-of-sale data system, Organization Dynamics, designing analysis systems for management consulting, the Alameda, Napa, Berkeley and Oakland school districts, providing a media management/scheduling system, Hexel Corporation, focusing on business control systems and the Solano, Mid-Alameda and Contra Costa County Special Education consortia, developing an intervention monitoring system with state data reporting mechanisms.
Larry and Nancy visited Montana many times, knowing it was where they wished to retire. Larry designed and began construction of their new home in 1998 near Echo Lake in Bigfork.
Larry helped the Northwest Montana Educational Cooperative, where Nancy was serving as director, with student assessment analysis in reading, mathematics and writing. He worked with districts in the cooperative as they explored data warehouse systems. He participated as advisor to committees at the Office of Public Instruction, as they too were evaluating the implementation of statewide data services.
Larry loved living here in the valley with the Swan Range and Jewel Basin viewpoints from their front deck, and hiking trails just a few roads from their home. Glacier Park was a frequent destination. He enjoyed photography, gardening, cooking and, of course, using and exploring the Internet. Google was his friend.
Larry was preceded in death by his parents; his uncles, Claude Bonaparte and Russell Adams; and his beloved grandmother, Alice Bonaparte.
He is survived by his wife, Nancy, of Bigfork; aunt, Leatrice Adams, of Pahrump, Nev.; sister-in-law, Veronica Quandt, of Indianapolis; and many cousins, nephews and nieces.
Memorials may be sent to the American Cancer Society.
Friends are encouraged to visit the website at www.buffalohillfh.com to leave notes of condolence and memories. Buffalo Hill Funeral Home and Crematory is caring for the family.