Dr. Lawrence A. 'Larry' Upton, Ph.D.
Dr. Lawrence A. “Larry” Upton, Ph.D., 79, of Harrisville passed away at 9:58 a.m. Tuesday at VNA Inpatient Hospice, Butler.
He was born on Dec. 21, 1934, in Syracuse, N.Y., Onondaga County, to Glenn Eugene and Edith Roth Upton, who lived on the fourth generation Upton family farm near Pulaski, N.Y., two miles from the east end of Lake Ontario.
Larry graduated from Pulaski Academy and Central School, followed by receiving both bachelor's and master's degrees from Syracuse University. Later he earned a master's degree in school counseling and a doctorate in counseling psychology from the University of Buffalo.
Larry leaves his loving wife of 49 years, Eleanor L. “Ellie” Blaisdell Upton, at home; his four children, Doug Sr. of Syracuse, N.Y., Tim (Lisa) of Dewitt, N.Y., Tom (Lisa) of Makanda, Ill., and Jennifer U. Watts of Clifton, Va.; his grandchildren, 2nd Lt. Doug Jr., USMC, of Quantico, Va., Spencer and Haylei Upton of Mercer, Riana Upton of Syracuse, Will and Nathan Upton of Dewitt, Brianna and Annabella Upton of Makanda, and Bretton and Cassidy Watts of Clifton; his brother, Charles of Silver Spring, Md.; his nieces and nephews, Chris, Deb, Mike and Valerie, and his special son, Don Zhou of Minneapolis, Minn.
Larry served in the USAF as an officer, where he attended a military school at Cheyenne, Wyo., followed by a one-year tour on Iwo Jima and another year in Okinawa. Later he was called to active duty in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy during the Berlin Crisis and was sent to Phallsborg, France, for nine months.
Larry taught social studies at Port Jervis High School and Jordan-Elbridge Central School, both in New York. He later served as a guidance counselor at Lockport Senior High School in Lockport, N.Y. Larry taught for more than 30 years at Slippery Rock University in the department of counseling and educational psychology, retiring as chairman in 1996.
In addition to Larry's work at SRU, he was a member of the American Psychological Association, the American School Counselors Association and the Gerontological Association of America.
He volunteered and served as president of the Butler County Mental Health Association, SWPA Council on Aging, PA Council on Aging, and the State Commission of Mental Health on Aging. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Butler VNA Inpatient Hospice where he served on the board for several years and also as a hospice volunteer.
Locally, Larry served on the Harrisville Borough Council for 12 years, the Council of Governments and the regional Sewage Commission, which was responsible for planning and bringing sanitary sewage to Harrisville.
He was a longtime member of the Harrisville United Methodist Church, where he sang in the choir, taught Sunday school and frequently attended the Western Pennsylvania Conference of the UMC as church delegate.
He will be sorely missed as he was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and caring friend to countless individuals he met throughout his life.
Upton — The family of Dr. Lawrence A. “Larry” Upton, Ph.D., who died Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2014, will receive friends from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at the Smith Funeral Home, 421 New Castle St., Slippery Rock.A Masonic service will follow at 9 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.Additional visitation will be from 10 a.m. until time of services at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Harrisville United Methodist Church, 301 S. Main St., Harrisville, with the Rev. Jeff Canter presiding. Interment will follow at Prairie Cemetery, Harrisville.Donations may be made in Larry's name to the Harrisville United Methodist Church; the SRU Foundation, Slippery Rock, PA 16057; VNA Inpatient Hospice, Butler, PA 16001, or to the Butler County MHA, 140 Elm Court, Butler, PA 16001.
