Lawrence David Roesler

Lawrence David Roesler of Sioux City died from leukemia December 20. Larry was born April 17, 1943, to Gladys and Reuben Roesler in Waseca, Minnesota, where he grew up. He graduated from Westmar College in Le Mars, Iowa.

After brief stints teaching at schools in Sheldon, Iowa, and Swartz Creek, Michigan, Larry taught for almost forty years in the Sioux City public schools, inspiring generations of young naturalists and astronomers. He was the teacher who made science come alive for students. Years later they came back and said how much they had gained from his classes. Larry was a naturalist at heart, finding great joy and meaning in the natural world. He passed this passion on not only to his students, but also to his nieces, great-nieces, and great-nephew.

Larry had a wonderful dry sense of humor. One teaching colleague recalled that she really liked Larry except when he would announce that there was a snake loose in the building.

Larry was a man of many interests. He was an enthusiastic birder and a nature photographer specializing in birds and insects. He was also a talented artist, noted for his realistic drawings of birds and caricatures of people. He had a lifelong interest in space exploration, a passion he shared with his brother Steve. Larry loved to read and especially enjoyed political memoirs and presidential biographies. He listened to classical music or jazz daily, with favorites ranging from Haydn string quartets to jazz manouche. Until his final diagnosis, Larry went on 20-mile bike rides. He loved fishing, cross-country skiing, and cooking healthy meals. One of his favorite activities, which he shared with his sister Anita, was researching his ancestry, reveling in discoveries of the unexpected. Larry attended the First United Methodist Church and was active in the Audubon Society and the Sierra Club.

He was the member of the family who kept in contact with every other member. He hated flying but flew regularly to North Carolina and Michigan for family get-togethers, and he even flew to visit relatives in Wales and Yucatán.

Larry is survived by his sister, Anita Roesler Veit, and her husband, Richard Veit, of Wilmington, North Carolina; his brother, Steven Roesler, and his wife, Marlys Svendsen, of Sarona, Wisconsin; his niece, Helen Veit, and her husband, Charles Keith, of East Lansing, Michigan; his niece, Katherine Whittaker, and her husband, Shea Whittaker of Durham, North Carolina. The lights of his life were his great-nieces, Clara, Gretchen, and Molly Keith, and his great-nephew, August Lawrence Whittaker. He is also survived by two cousins, June Fell of Waseca, Minnesota, and Vicki Oeljen of Richfield, Minnesota, and by special friends Jane and Ed Sibley of Sioux City. The family will observe a private remembrance of Larry. Memorial donations may be made to the Loess Hills Audubon Society.