Obituary: Lawrence Tondu, 85, of Ludington

Larry Tondu

Obituary: Lawrence Tondu, 85, of Ludington

Lawrence Walter Tondu, 85, passed away surrounded by his loved ones on Wednesday, January 3, 2024.

He was born to Leo and Lillian (Lau) Tondu on September 20, 1938 in Ludington.

Larry proudly served his country by enlisting in the United States Navy in 1955. He met his lovely wife Marie-Claire (Mickey) Damotte Tondu while in France in 1961. They were married in France in 1963 and recently celebrated their 60th anniversary. His travels took him and his family all over the world during his 23 years as SM1 – signalman first class. During his naval career he crossed the equator twice, had two tours in Vietnam and had two color companies while serving as a company commander at Naval Great Lakes Training Center Great Lakes in Illinois. He was nominated for Sailor of the Year and was selected as runner up.

He was honorably discharged from the United States Navy in 1979 and brought his family to his hometown of Ludington. He began working for the City of Ludington as the city building inspector until his retirement. Construction of the popular Ludington Municipal Marina was one of his many success stories during this time. Afterwards he worked a few summers on the SS Badger.

Larry spent many years giving his time and talents on various projects, but he especially liked volunteering at the American Legion Post 76 where he served as post commander and was a lifetime member. He was also a member of the 40/8 and the American Legion Color Guard. He was quite the handy man and he enjoyed gifting his woodworking projects to his friends and family. He enjoyed Mickey’s good French food, jazz, dancing, traveling, fishing, playing cards, hunting, and going camping. One of his greatest passions in life was spending time with his son Walter helping him to build his experimental airplanes. His laugh and smile were infectious, and he always enjoyed a good joke. He could dance the jitter bug with his wife Mickey like no one else.

He was preceded in death by his father Leo Tondu; mother Lillian (Lau) Tondu and sister Donna Holmes Bentz.

He will be greatly missed by his wife Marie-Claire (Mickey); son Walter (Michelle) Tondu; daughter Caroline (Chris) VanHouten; grandchildren Travis (Julie) Ruterbusch, Monica (Blane) Bowen, Ian Van Houten, Brittany Coolidge, Bret Coolidge; brother David (Josephine) Tondu; sister Helen (Russell) Sanders; nieces, and nephews.

A funeral with military honors will be held on Friday, January 12, 2024 at 11 a.m. at Oak Grove Funeral Home of Ludington, with visitation starting at 10 a.m. Larry will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Larry’s name to the American Legion Post 76.

Please share your fond memories of Larry at www.OakGroveLudington.com.

Oak Grove Funeral Home of Ludington is honored to assist the family during this difficult time.