Larry J. Stevens

Hoosick Falls – Larry J. Stevens of Hoosick Falls, NY, went home to God on Wednesday, November 2, 2011, at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, after a long illness.  He was the cherished husband of Dianne Bingham Stevens and is also survived by his parents, John and Marge Stevens, his brother, Jerry Stevens, and several aunts, uncles and cousins.
Larry was a graduate of Bennington College and received his Masters Degree in Urban and Environmental Planning from RPI.  He worked in the financial offices of several medical facilities through the years, including St. Mary’s Hospital and Seton Health in Troy, NY, and Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, VT. His last position was as a financial specialist at the Vermont Veterans Home in Bennington.  Because of his caring, outgoing personality, he made many lasting friendships at each of his places of employment in addition to his friends since childhood and high school.
Larry loved relaxing beside the Great Sacandaga Lake, getting together with friends for their annual “pie festival,” gardening, antiquing, reading, listening to his eclectic collection of hundreds of CDs and enjoying the company of his pets, including his three beloved Great Pyrenees.
But one of Larry’s greatest passions was his love and appreciation of historic buildings, and one of his proudest accomplishments was saving Delaney’s Hotel, a 160 year old structure in North Hoosick, NY, from demolition.  He and his wife Dianne fought for five years to save it and then finally purchased it themselves and devoted 20 more years of their lives to stabilizing the building and beginning its restoration.  And nothing made Larry happier than seeing the restoration continuing in the very capable hands of its new owner.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 26, at 1 pm at the First Baptist Church on Main Street in Hoosick Falls. Donations in Larry’s memory may be made to the National Trust for Historic Preservation or to the ASPCA.