Larry Yost, WTU Field Director, Loses Battle with Cancer
Whitetails Unlimited 04.27.12
The Whitetails Unlimited family lost one of its brightest lights last week, when Larry Yost, Nebraska field director, passed away after a battle with cancer.
Larry was only 46, far too young, and will be sincerely missed by everyone who knew him. His passing will be a real loss for Whitetails Unlimited, and for everyone he worked with across a large area of the plains states as he conducted fundraising events, and promoted conservation, hunting, and the outdoor tradition.
WTU Executive Director Pete Gerl noted, “This is truly a sad day for Whitetails Unlimited, and a great loss for Larry’s family and all who knew him. Larry was a true asset to Whitetails Unlimited and will always be remembered. He spearheaded WTU’s mission, in his home state of Nebraska and throughout his territory. His positive results are here to stay! Without question, Larry will be missed by all.”
If you never had the pleasure of meeting Larry, he was one of those quiet guys who got an amazing amount of work done, seeming without any effort. On one memorable occasion, the caterer for one of his banquets failed to show up, and Larry realized that there would be no meal for his sold-out Nebraska banquet. It was a real nightmare situation: he was looking at 220 people who had paid for and were expecting a dinner to be served in 20 minutes, but in typical Larry style, he just handled it.
Larry exemplified the Kipling quote to his son, “If you can keep your wits about you while all others are losing theirs … then you will be a man.” Well, Larry was The Man. He got things organized, people went far above what could ever be expected, and in short order the crowd was enjoying a steak dinner. It was a little late, but Larry said there were nocomplaints.
The most amazing part was that when Larry was called for information about that banquet for a magazine story, he shrugged it off, said it was no big deal, and tried to put all the credit on everyone else. In reality, it was a great team effort that pulled success from the jaws of disaster, but without the calm, decisive leadership that Larry always projected, and the loyalty that he engendered from the chapter members and volunteers that he worked with, that banquet would havebeen a complete disaster.
That story is on the WTU website at: www.whitetailsunlimited.com/news/archives/session_b2979bad999d/banquettrailtales.phtml
Larry is survived by his wife, Holly, and their five children: Drew and Dylan Yost, Jamie and Shea Lundeby, and Dalton Dunn, and his grandson, Corbin Lundeby. He was passionate about hunting, fishing, and baseball with the boys and his friends, and he’s going to be missed by everyone he touched.
Founded in 1982, Whitetails Unlimited is a national non-profit conservation organization that has remained true to its mission and has made great strides in the field of conservation. We have gained the reputation of being the nation's premier organization dedicating our resources to the betterment of the white-tailed deer and its environment.
On behalf of our 90,000 plus supporters, we welcome you to browse our site and learn more about WTU, our past accomplishments, and the organization's commitment to caring for our priceless renewable natural resources. We appreciate your interest in Whitetails Unlimited and hope that after reviewing our site, you will consider joining the whitetail team "Working for an American Tradition."
