Larry Don Dunkle, 81, died on April 17, 2024. He was born in Helena, Oklahoma, on February 19, 1943, the son of Lola I. Berg (Dunkle). His family moved to Cherokee, OK where he attended elementary school, then moved to Denver, Colorado and attended junior high and high school there. He received his BS degree in biology from Colorado State College (now the University of Northern Colorado) in 1965 and was presented with the Scholar-Athlete Award at graduation.

He married his best friend since their high school days, Margaret (Peg) Oughtred, on June 13, 1965, in Denver. They would have been married for 59 years this June and raised four children: a daughter, Stephanie Dunkle-Blatter, MD (Scott Blatter) of Sidney, Ohio, and three sons, Gregory (Dorianne), Christopher (Andrea), and Michael (Amanda), all of Lafayette/West Lafayette. The family is fortunate to have seven healthy and talented grandchildren: Breanna, Kaleb, Keelan, Alexandra Blatter, Baron, Hayden, and Bayla. Larry is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren, with a great-grandchild on the way.

After their marriage, Larry and Peg moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where Larry accepted a teaching/research assistantship in the Department of Botany at the University of Wisconsin, earning his MS degree in 1968 and PhD in 1970. Following an appointment as a National Institutes of Health post-doctoral fellow, he joined the faculty at the University of Nebraska, where he conducted research and taught undergraduate and graduate level courses in plant pathology. In 1978, he joined the USDA–Agricultural Research Service as a Research Plant Pathologist and was appointed adjunct professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Purdue University. He served in that capacity for 33 years, including 15 years as Research Leader of the USDA-ARS Crop Production and Pest Control Research Unit before retiring in 2011.

Larry enjoyed coaching youth sports teams (baseball, soccer, Special Olympics basketball), and he remained active and involved in baseball after he retired by giving pitching instruction to over 50 boys from 11 to 17 years old. Seeing them enjoy baseball and excel on their travel and high school teams was very gratifying to Larry.

A celebration of life will be held in June with pizza and wings per his request. For details and to leave condolences or share memories with the family, visit memorialsource.com/memorial/larry-don-dunkle. In lieu of donations, please plant a flowering tree or shrub in his honor.