June 5 1933 October 5 2022 (age 89)
Obituary Dr. Larry Owen Tadlock, a plain-spoken but caring healer of Quad Cities pets for more than four decades, died Wednesday, October 5, 2022, at Friendship Manor in Rock Island. He was 89. A celebration of life will be held at 1pm Wednesday, October 12, at Wheelan-Pressly Funeral Home and Crematory, 3030 7th Avenue, Rock Island. Visitation will begin at 11am. Burial at Rock Island National Cemetery will take place at 2 p.m. Larry joined the Rock Island Animal Hospital as a partner in 1971 and retired as its sole proprietor in 2010. Larry was a skilled and accomplished woodworker, dedicated and honored Rotarian, adventurous outdoorsman, U.S. military veteran, faithful friend to many, and loving and devoted family patriarch. Larry was born to Helen (Shull) and Grant Owen Tadlock in Moravia, Iowa, on June 5, 1933. He married JoAn Callen on January 10, 1954, in Moravia. Larry and JoAn celebrated their 68th anniversary in January, an enduring example of the power of love, partnership, and lifelong friendship. Larry served in the Army from 1953-1956, working as a small arms weaponry instructor before being stationed in Germany. Upon discharge, he met his 10-month old child for the first time. Larry earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University (and JoAn was awarded a PHT from the Veterinary School for “putting hubby through”) in 1962. Larry joined the veterinary practice of Dr. Ralph Ruggles in Moline that same year and, from 1965 through 1971, was a partner at a clinic in Granite City, Illinois. He returned to the Quad Cities and began a 35-year partnership at Rock Island Animal Hospital with Dr. Richard Coster. Larry continued the practice following Dr. Coster’s retirement in 2004; then sold it to Dr. Elizabeth Narske when he concluded his 47 years of veterinary service in 2010. Larry also helped in the creation of the Animal Emergency Center of the Quad Cities. Larry joined Rotary International in 1969 in Granite City and was a member of the Rock Island Rotary Club from 1971 through his death. He served the club and the district in numerous capacities, including president and as a 15-year member and three-year chair of the Rotary Group Study Exchange Committee. Larry maintained a perfect Rotary attendance record for nearly 40 years, attending meetings of out-of-town chapters while entertaining his passion for travel and outdoor adventures. Family vacations took the Tadlocks and their four children to campgrounds on the Buffalo River in Arkansas, Yellowstone, and Lake Rathbun. A treasured memory was a three-week camping adventure with JoAn on the Oregon Coast. Larry’s passion for backpacking led him to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back, Glacier National Park and various parts of the Colorado Rockies. He later led 29 canoeing trips to the Boundary Waters of Canada, perfecting the art of packing as the unofficial dean of the Tadlock School of Packing. Larry’s favorite Boundary Waters adventures included his brothers, his and their children, and his grandson. “On those trips, whether with family or friends, I seem to feel closer to our Creator than anywhere else.” ~ Larry Tadlock Larry is survived by his beloved wife; JoAn, daughters Larianne (Chuck) Richards, Sherri (Craig) DeVrieze, and Jann (Dan) Koert; grandchildren Dillon (Molly) Behr, Ryan Proctor, Sabrina (Eladio) Pena, Adam (Samantha) Tadlock, and Jesse (Maxine Robles) Topping; 11 great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren; and siblings Joe Tadlock, Irene Brooks, and Naomi Hutt. He was preceded in death by son, Mark Tadlock; siblings Basil Tadlock and Imogene Tisue; and his parents. Memorials may be made to Rock Island Rotary Foundation or Friendship Manor. Online condolences: www.wheelanpressly.com. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Dr. Larry Owen Tadlock, please visit our floral store.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Dr Larry Owen Tadlock June 5 1933 October 5 2022 (age 89).
Death notice for the town of: Milan, state: Illinois