Lawrence Grant

Lawrence Vernon Grant

1942-2019

Lawrence (Larry) Grant passed away June 28 after a hard-fought battle with cancer, surrounded by the people and animals he loved.

He believed in government serving the people, a guiding principle throughout his working life. He worked as senior managing partner of Public Strategies Group to “reinvent government.” Before that, he worked as chief information officer for the state of MN, was a vice president at Norwest Corporation, and an assistant professor of political science at the University of Kentucky.  He held a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Illinois at Champagne-Urbana.

His intelligence, wit, humor, and gentle way of teaching and guiding will be missed.  He loved his books; his family; baseball; a zippy, energy-efficient car; napping with his beloved puppy Annie and the company of all his cats and dogs. He was rich of mind, and when he took up any interest he went full bore. He loved biking, fly-fishing, and technology. He liked to write, draw, play the guitar, and build things. He liked figuring out how it all worked with every tool and gadget available on the planet.

Larry is preceded in death by his parents, Boyd Vernon Grant and Vera Montgomery Grant, and his sister, Catherine Grant. He is survived by his spouse, Lucy Rogers; his children, Aaron Grant, Elizabeth Grant, and Lily Rogers-Grant; and his grandchildren, Isabella, Adam, Henry, Angela and William.

A memorial service to celebrate Larry’s life will be held at Carpenter Nature Center in Hastings July 15, 3:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to the Central High School robotics team where Larry volunteered. MinuteBot Boosters, 1881 Princeton Avenue, Saint Paul, MN  55105; www.minutebots.org