April 10, 1940 – June 18, 2023

Larry Joe McBride (The Silver Fox) made his way to Heaven surrounded by his family on Father’s Day, June 18, 2023 at the age of 83.  He leaves behind his wife Sharon, his daughters Teri and Shannon, his son Robert, his brothers Mike & Phil, his sister Denise, his grandsons Michael and Tyler, his granddaughters Alexandra and Angelica, and great granddaughter Harper Grace.  He is preceded in death by his son Terry, his mother Dorothy, his biological father Joseph and his stepfather Wayne.  He always said every day past 50 was a bonus.

When he became ill, his family would visit him in the hospital every day.  Every day they would find him watching TBN or any Christian station he could find.  He knew his time was short, and he wanted to know God and Jesus.  After many prayers and conversations, one afternoon he said: “I’m Ready”.  So, a prayer, a blessing, forgiveness and acceptance, he did indeed come to know God and Jesus in the hospital, to the absolute joy of his family.  In the true spirit of who he was, his family also knows he is doing the whole "neener, neener, neener" thing in Heaven, because he arrived before they did.

But why is this so important, beyond the obvious.   Well, Larry didn’t believe in God, to hear him talk about it.  Yet, deep down he knew that the power of God was real, as evidenced in his life, the lives of his children, and of his family, every day.  Romans 10:9:  Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

He was born in rural Indiana on April 10, 1940, grew up in California, graduated from North Hollywood High School and joined the Marines, Semper Fi, which was one of his most proud accomplishments.  He was a very proud Marine and would remind you of that fact all the time, “I’m a Marine, what are you going to do about it?”, even in the last of his days.

He also attended the University of Mississippi.  He developed a love of reading and crossword puzzles.  He would sit around in his underwear and do the New York Crossword puzzle in ink and in his underwear.  That was always a sight to behold.

He had an interesting upbringing.  He was taught acting, piano, violin and singing by a nanny named Berta, whom he lived with several years while his mother was trying to start her life after her divorce from his biological father.  He was a handsome boy and had a beautiful singing voice.  His one claim to fame was his role as the little boy on the Weber’s Bread billboard back in the late 40’s, early 50’s flying around on a piece of bread with a little girl, like Aladdin.  He talked about that advertisement whenever he met new people.   He went to live with his mother after several years with his nanny.  He gained a new stepfather, Wayne, and two siblings, Denise and Phil.  He loved them very much.  His biological father passed in a construction accident when Larry was a young boy.  About 25 years ago, he got to meet another brother, Mike, that he never knew he had.  They were able to meet in person and build a relationship.  He loved Mike and was proud of him. 

He always told people about his family: children, grandchildren, siblings.  Anyone who was a captive audience heard about his family.  He was not perfect, but he loved his family and would always help everyone.  Even to the detriment of himself.  He always had an open-door policy.  He always made sure to remind everyone that he was an a-hole. 

His true passion, however, his lifelong joy, was cars.  Most likely because he spent his youth in California around movie people, … and cars were a thing, a big thing.  So, he chose a career in car sales.  He loved that work and continued to sell cars right up until he was in the hospital just before his passing.  Every one of his children and grandchildren has received or purchased a car from him at one time or another.

But the person he loved most dearly was his wife, Sharon.  They were married for over 53 years and had such the interesting life of their own.  When they met in California it was love at first sight (not exactly – she called him an a-hole), but he grew on her.  When he had an opportunity to move to Texas for work, he packed up the family, moved to Texas, discovered Blue Bell Butter Pecan ice cream, and never looked back.  He raised his family in Texas and made a career for himself in car sales.

Funeral services will be held at Jeter Memorial Funeral Home 311 N. Friendswood Dr. Friendswood, Tx.  77546 (281) 992-7200 on July 15, 2023, at 10:00 A.M. with Pastor Ryan Lehtinen officiating.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Veterans Association.