Lawrence Irving Wing

Lawrence “Larry” I. Wing, avid book collector and father to three, passed away peacefully at the age of 73 on August 20, 2022. Larry was born and raised on Anderson Street in Portland, and upon graduating from the Portland schools, joined the US Marine Corps in 1965. Having survived the Vietnam War, Larry came home to work for Burnham & Morrill Bean Co., and met his wife, Carol, marrying in 1976.

For many years, Larry and Carol were happy to host any and all family members and friends at a camp on Sebago Lake, swimming and going on boat rides. He also enjoyed biking, and competed in the Maine Lung Trek many times. Larry’s true passion, however, was for books—especially history books. Larry was a voracious reader and book collector, and on Sundays he worked for the Carlson & Turner Book Store for 10 years. Larry lovingly collected books on every subject for his personal library, and later took to selling books at markets in Arundel.

Larry was also very active in a Coastal Defense Study Group (CDSG), caring for many local landmarks, ensuring the safekeeping of historical military documents, and traveling to military instillations all over the world. With his group, Larry visited the Philippines, Finland, Russia, France, Newfoundland, China and Singapore. He and Carol were also able to revisit Vietnam, and enjoyed many winters in Hawaii.

Larry is predeceased by his son Joseph Wing. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Carol (Brown) Wing; son Lawrence Wing and partner Anita; son Brian Averill; and his grandchildren Lawrence Wing and his wife Janelle, Alyssa Thompson and her husband Jeff, and Hanna Averill. Larry will be missed dearly by his many brothers and sisters-in-law, Sally Conant, Cathy Pesce and her husband Steve, Charles Brown and his wife Anne, Ditchie Brown and his wife Tammie, and Howard Brown as well as his cousins Tallman and Francis and his longtime friends Ken and Joe.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.

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