Larry Vernon Winburn, age 81 of Butler, Missouri died Monday, August 9, 2021 at Bates County Memorial Hospital in Butler. He was born May 21, 1940, in Lee’s Summit, Missouri to Vernon H. Winburn and Roberta Lee Winburn. He grew up on a greyhound farm in Lee’s Summit and was amazed by the grace and speed of the animals as he helped his father and uncle raise and train them to race in Boston and in St. Petersburg, Florida. His grade school days were divided between Massachusetts, Florida, and Missouri every year..
Larry graduated from Lee’s Summit High School in 1958. He attended Missouri Valley College on a football scholarship, then transferred to Finley Engineering College in Kansas City, where he earned a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Larry served in the Air Force Reserves at Richards-Gebaur Air Base in Grandview, Missouri in the mid-60’s. He then moved to Butler, Missouri to take over his father’s greyhound breeding and training operation when Vernon was stricken with cancer.
By then he had married Carol Ann Browning and had a young son Rick and a baby girl Cindy in his household. Through the years Larry was Safety Director for Tiona Truck Line, Sales Manager for Kahn Transportation, and most recently, owner/operator of the Sears Hometown Dealer Store in Butler for 11 years.
Larry loved his family more than anything and marveled at the scholastic accomplishments of his son and daughter. He encouraged their participation in sports, and seldom missed a football or baseball game for Rick or a volleyball or softball game for Cindy.
Larry was never afraid of hard work, and was passionately neat and orderly. He was always equipped with a witty remark, and forever a bit of a prankster.
He loved to hunt and fish, and enjoyed his membership in the Butler BassMasters Association. His grandchildren were, and still are, a constant source of pride and entertainment. He was an active member of the First Christian Church in Butler.
Larry was a good friend and neighbor. He and Carol Ann often joined other Butler couples for dinner in Kansas City. He took pride in his prowess at card games like pitch and poker and rummy. Even in his later years, when lung problems kept him pretty close to home, he delighted in besting the TV contestants at word games like Wheel of Fortune and Chain Reaction.
Larry is preceded in death by his parents,Vernon and Roberta Winburn and by his brother, Randy Winburn. He leaves his wife, Carol Ann Winburn of the home; son, Rick (Tammy) Winburn of Overland Park, Kansas; and daughter, Cindy (Tom) Kennedy of Lee’s Summit, Missouri; granddaughters, Sarah Winburn, Casey (Ben) Field, and Haley Watson; grandsons, Andrew (Kolina) Winburn, Chris Winburn, T.J. Kennedy, Kyle (Trinity) Watson, and Kory Watson.
