1937
Lawrence
2014
Lawrence Folk
January 17, 1937 — May 7, 2014
Lawrence (Larry) E. Folk, 77, passed away on May 7, 2014, in the loving company of family at his home in Lanham, Maryland. He was known for his warmth and generosity. His humor and sincerity endeared him to his friends and family.
Larry was born January 17, 1937 in Dayton, Ohio, to Louis and Beatrice Folk. Larry was the second youngest of six siblings: Dolores, Lois, Constance, Louis Jr., and David. His father taught him at a young age to play golf and table tennis, instilling upon him a love of sports that became a lifelong passion. He was a member of the Kaiser High School Golf Team and graduated from Kaiser in 1955. During the Vietnam War, Larry joined the Army National Guard of Ohio, completing basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in the spring of 1960. He served 6 years.
He worked at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, where he received enhanced training in the emerging field of computer programming. His civil service career started in 1962 in the Washington, DC area with the US Bureau of Census, Demographic Surveys Division, where he made many life-long friends.
He filled his evenings and weekends with various sporting activities - bowling, card playing, tennis, and slow pitch softball - but golf and table tennis, where he excelled, were his passion. In 1965, Larry won the Men's Singles Maryland Open in table tennis and was ranked as one of the top ten amateur table tennis players in the United States. As a member of Woodmore Country Club, Larry enjoyed playing golf in his free time and later in his retirement with the Dew Sweepers and Senior Men's groups.
In 1970, Larry moved to Chelsea Wood Condominiums in Greenbelt, Maryland. He later became a member of Greenbelt Community Church, UCC, where he met his future wife of 38 years. Larry and Martha (Marty) Tompkins were married October 23, 1975. Together, they enjoyed singing in the Greenbelt Combined Choir Christmas and Palm Sunday Concerts for many years as well as regularly in the Greenbelt Community Church Choir. They enjoyed numerous outdoor adventures and travels to national parks. Favorites include climbing Cadillac Mountain in Acadia NP; hiking to Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Grand Canyon; camping in Shenandoah NP; and hiking along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Five years later they moved to Lanham, MD, and had their first and only child, Erika, on February 7, 1980. Larry delighted in being a father and the family continued its many summer adventures to the Pacific Northwest; most memorably including Glacier NP, Canadian Rockies, and Alaska. Larry retired from the Census Bureau in 1992, after more than 30 years of civil service.
A memorial service will be held at Greenbelt Community Church, UCC, 1 Hillside Road, Greenbelt, MD 20770, on Monday morning, May 19 at 11:00 am. Memorial gifts may be sent to Greenbelt Community Church; Capital Caring (hospice), 1801 McCormick Drive, Suite 180, Largo, MD 20774; or to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (www.themmrf.org).
Larry was born January 17, 1937 in Dayton, Ohio, to Louis and Beatrice Folk. Larry was the second youngest of six siblings: Dolores, Lois, Constance, Louis Jr., and David. His father taught him at a young age to play golf and table tennis, instilling upon him a love of sports that became a lifelong passion. He was a member of the Kaiser High School Golf Team and graduated from Kaiser in 1955. During the Vietnam War, Larry joined the Army National Guard of Ohio, completing basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in the spring of 1960. He served 6 years.
He worked at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, where he received enhanced training in the emerging field of computer programming. His civil service career started in 1962 in the Washington, DC area with the US Bureau of Census, Demographic Surveys Division, where he made many life-long friends.
He filled his evenings and weekends with various sporting activities - bowling, card playing, tennis, and slow pitch softball - but golf and table tennis, where he excelled, were his passion. In 1965, Larry won the Men's Singles Maryland Open in table tennis and was ranked as one of the top ten amateur table tennis players in the United States. As a member of Woodmore Country Club, Larry enjoyed playing golf in his free time and later in his retirement with the Dew Sweepers and Senior Men's groups.
In 1970, Larry moved to Chelsea Wood Condominiums in Greenbelt, Maryland. He later became a member of Greenbelt Community Church, UCC, where he met his future wife of 38 years. Larry and Martha (Marty) Tompkins were married October 23, 1975. Together, they enjoyed singing in the Greenbelt Combined Choir Christmas and Palm Sunday Concerts for many years as well as regularly in the Greenbelt Community Church Choir. They enjoyed numerous outdoor adventures and travels to national parks. Favorites include climbing Cadillac Mountain in Acadia NP; hiking to Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Grand Canyon; camping in Shenandoah NP; and hiking along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Five years later they moved to Lanham, MD, and had their first and only child, Erika, on February 7, 1980. Larry delighted in being a father and the family continued its many summer adventures to the Pacific Northwest; most memorably including Glacier NP, Canadian Rockies, and Alaska. Larry retired from the Census Bureau in 1992, after more than 30 years of civil service.
A memorial service will be held at Greenbelt Community Church, UCC, 1 Hillside Road, Greenbelt, MD 20770, on Monday morning, May 19 at 11:00 am. Memorial gifts may be sent to Greenbelt Community Church; Capital Caring (hospice), 1801 McCormick Drive, Suite 180, Largo, MD 20774; or to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (www.themmrf.org).
Cemetery Details
Private
Service
MAY 19. 11:00 AM
Greenbelt Community Church
1 Hillside Road
Greenbelt, md, US
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