Lawrence Royal Valiquette
ESCANABA — Our father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Lawrence Royal Valiquette, 80, passed away on June 22, 2025, at home with his loving family by his side. He was born on March 31, 1945 in Escanaba, son of the late Royal and Rita (Lauzon) Valiquette.
He was raised in Escanaba and graduated from Escanaba High School in 1963. He served in the Army National Guard from 1964-1970.
In 1970, he was injured when a crane boom fell on him while working for P&H Harnischfeger. Once Harnishfeger closed, he drove over-the-road for Evergreen Express and then Dow Dawson Trucking until he was forced to retire in 2007 due to his health.
Larry married Mary Germain on October 1, 1983 and they raised four loving children. They have celebrated 41 years of marriage.
He was a crew member for the Iverson racing team for many years and drove Kenny or Herby’s car when they were unavailable. They traveled to races all over Upper Michigan, Wisconsin and Canada. There are a lot of memories and stories that only those who were there can embrace.
He was an avid Green Bay Packers fan. Go Pack Go! He was an avid outdoor enthusiast and loved hunting and fishing. He enjoyed playing cribbage and telling stories and jokes with his family and friends. He traveled to Alaska and Canada on several fishing trips over the years. He enjoyed attending and celebrating his grandchildren’s sporting events; basketball, football, robotics and dance recitals.
His Hardee’s coffee friends were very special to him and were like brothers. Thank you to the crew at Hardees and his friends just for being who you are, while making him laugh and enjoy your camaraderie.
During his last year, he received much joy feeding and caring for the birds, especially the chickadees – which he believed should be the state bird, seeing as they remain in Michigan year-round.
Larry is survived by his wife, Mary; children, Lori (Valiquette) Emmes, Robert (Lisa) Valiquette, Larry II (Danielle) Valiquette, Ryan (Marcy) Valiquette, Elisabeth Valiquette, Brandon (Elise) Valiquette; grandchildren, Alex (Becca), Nicholas (Sierra), Anna, Adilynn, Sophia, Aria, Van, Jasper, Colson, Kai, Harper, and Declan; great grandchild, Cooper; siblings, Yvonne Waller, Kathleen Porath, Diane (Terry) Hooper, Nancy (Allen) Porath, Katherine Beatty, Caroline (Charles) Thoune, Margaret (James) Reiffers, Mary (Mike) Bintner and Lori Ann (Richard) Dubord; brothers in-law, Richard (Diane) Germain, Tim (Karen) Germain, Joe (Michelle) Germain and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Royal Valiquette, Rita (Lauzon) Porath and Jack Porath; in-laws, David and Therese (Dufour) Germain; sisters, Lana Diviley and Barbara Schram; brother, Dennis Porath; brothers-in-law, Ronald Schram, Kenneth Waller, Dale Germain, Darrell Germain, and Steve Germain.
A celebration of life will be held at Crawford Funeral Home in Escanaba on Wednesday, June 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The funeral service will be officiated by his nephew, Pastor Ben Fox at 1 p.m.
The committal service and military honors will follow at 2:00 PM at Holy Cross Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Escanaba Vet Center, 301 North 30th Street, Escanaba, MI 49829 or to OSF Home Health & Hospice, 901 North Lincoln Road, Escanaba, MI 49829.
A message of condolence may be directed to the family by visiting
. The family have entrusted the Crawford Funeral Homes to
assist with arrangements.