Larry S. McDonald, age 74, died on Wednesday, October 11, 2017. At 1:30 a.m. I lost part of my heart, my soul mate and my dearest friend, my husband. Although he was somewhat shy around a group of people, he was a kind and gentle man, much like his father.Larry was born on February 19, 1943 in Wellington, Kansas. He loved participating in and watching sports, especially basketball and his beloved Jayhawks, and football, and cheered when the Dallas Cowboys lost. Larry attended Emporia State College where he majored in playing Bridge, not your normal studies. We always thought that was funny, but his Dad certainly didn't.He and his first wife moved to Houston, TX and welcomed their daughter, Melodie, in October, 1964. Larry worked for Camco, a company that made safety valves for offshore drilling rigs. He retired in 2004 after 40 years of employment. In 1978, we met at a bowling alley in Houston, of all places. It was love at first sight for both of us. Because he was a shy guy, I didn't think he would ever ask me out on a date. Well, he finally did and we got married in 1980 and lived in Houston until 2004 when we moved to Las Cruces, NM. We fell in love with the weather because we could play golf almost every day of the year, and have made some wonderful friends here, who didn't care if we played very bad golf. We loved to travel and have visited Canada, Hawaii, and Washington, D.C., a cruise to Alaska, as well as a cruise to Mexico and Jamaica.I want to acknowledge and thank my friends, Bea and Keith, for being with me when I needed them most, and the Memorial Hospital emergency room Dr. Said and the ER nurse, Tim, for their kindness and compassion during the brief time they helped both Larry and me.Larry is survived by his wife, Wanda, his daughter Melodie, his step-daughter Kim, granddaughters Kristina (Marc) and Courtney, and great-grandsons Kayvin and Maison. He is also survived by his sister Linda Moore and husband Bob, nephew Lance and great niece Jennifer, as well as many cousins. He was predeceased by his loving parents, Jake and Dora McDonald.Larry has been cremated, and family and friends are cordially invited to a memorial service and celebration of Larry's life which will be held on Thursday, October 26, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. at Getz Funeral Home, 1410 E. Bowman Avenue, Las Cruces, NM 88001.