For the week leading up to Nov. 21, Larry Bontrager could be found at the Boys & Girls Club of Middlebury making small repairs and touching up paint in preparation for a very successful fund-raising event.
That behind-the-scenes, but important, type of volunteerism is what Bontrager is most remembered for in the Goshen and Middlebury communities.
Bontrager, realtor and owner of Bontrager Hardies Realty, died while fishing on Baldwin Lake, Union, Mich., Saturday — a day he told his wife, Norma, would likely be the last on the water for the season.
“Anytime he was fishing he was really excited,” said his daughter, Natalie Thomas. “He was in a great mood that day. We talked to him. He just loved being on the water and it was a lovely fall day.”
The family isn’t sure exactly what happened Saturday. Bontrager was found in the water near his boat. Thomas said the family believes he may have had a heart attack.
Along with his love of the outdoors, Bontrager also loved serving his community.
“In so many ways, Dad was blessed and because of that, he felt a deep calling to give back to the community,” Thomas said. “He just recently told one of his sons-in-law that he loved selling real estate, but his joy was mentoring to next generation.”
Thomas said in addition to his community work, Bontrager was “a wonderful husband and father.”
Dedicated to
Boys & Girls Club
Bontrager was instrumental in the establishment of the Middlebury Boys & Girls Club and has been a firm supporter ever since, according to Executive Director Kevin Deary.
“He got in on the ground floor in 2001,” Deary said. “He was one of the first people involved in that. Larry was very much invaluable. He didn’t like the limelight. He worked tirelessly behind the scenes. That’s where he preferred to stay.”
Deary said the picture of Bontrager that will stay with him is of his efforts in preparing for the club’s auction Nov. 21. The auction drew 355 supporters and raised more than $100,000.
“He had his toolbelt on, running around the club fixing things and doing paint touch-up,” Deary said. “I’ve never seen him so happy. He had 200 kids around him and was just having a great time.”
Deary said Bontrager’s eye for facility management and the pride he took in the club’s building meant a lot to the organization.
“He and his wife, Norma, worked very, very hard leading up to the event,” he said. “Norma did a lot of decorating and cleaning and Larry did the paint touch ups and handy man stuff.”
The night of the event, Bontrager was beaming, Deary said.
“He was very proud of the Boys & Girls Club and the children he cared about,” he said. “He was like that for lots of community events. He was a person who stood by his friends, no matter what. He was a very special man and we lost him way too early.”
The Middlebury club was just one way Bontrager gave back to the community. He was heavily involved in Goshen Rotary Club and all of that group’s endeavors.
If there was a project being planned, Bontrager stepped in to help.
“It didn’t matter if it was working on Help-A-House or ringing bells for the Salvation Army, Larry was there,” said Rotarian and long-time friend Bernie Lambright. “He was very caring for those he came into contact with in all walks of life.”
Lambright said Bontrager was involved in construction early in his career and enjoyed using those skills to help in his volunteer work in his own unassuming way.
He also said Bontrager was very committed to the community and very committed to his church “in a major way.”
Lambright last saw Bontrager on Thanksgiving evening at a meal hosted by Lynn and Linda Morris for the couple’s small group from Nappanee Missionary Church.
“He was very excited to go fishing Saturday,” Lambright said. “We never dreamed we wouldn’t see him again.”
Lambright said Bontrager had a passion for the outdoors and in his spare time enjoyed hunting and fishing, including annual trips to Alaska.
A generous man
The outdoorsman was also remembered for his generosity. According to Rotarian and Goshen City Council member Everett Thomas, Bontrager recently bought a $400 one-day Lake Michigan sailboat excursion from Thomas that he donated to the Boys & Girls Club auction, where it sold for $2,200. The sailboat belongs to Thomas.
“He was really pleased our little collaboration raised so much money,” Thomas said.
His generosity extended to his church family as well. Rev. Bob Shreiner, now coordinator of pastoral care at Oaklawn, was the Bontragers’ pastor at Clinton Frame Mennonite Church for 12 years.
“One of the things I remember, especially at this time of year, he would give gifts to people within the congregation who were in need,” Shreiner said. “He would give them to me to give to the person, because he didn’t want them to know who it was.”
His general character is also something Shreiner appreciates about Bontrager.
“He had a high level of integrity,” he said. “His word was his word.”
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