Obituary of Larry Donald Canale

Larry D. Canale, age 91, passed away peacefully at his home in LeRoy, N.Y., on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, surrounded by his loving family. Larry was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, brother, and friend.

Born on Nov. 18, 1932, in Westfield, N.Y., Larry was the youngest of seven children. He studied at Utica College before joining the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

Larry was a highly regarded manager in the W.T. Grant retail chain. He began as a stockboy in the mid-1950s and quickly entered the company’s management trainee program. As an assistant manager in Williamsville, N.Y., he met the love of his life, Mildred (Wilcocks) Canale, who would become his wife of 66 years. He went on to manage Grant stores in various locations in New York State, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. 

After leaving Grants, he and Mildred opened a Ben Franklin variety store in LeRoy, operating the family business from 1976 through 1994. He later went to work as a top sales representative at Rochester-based Castle, known for its car-care products.

Larry was active in community service, spending time as a youth-league baseball and basketball coach and volunteering for fund-raising responsibilities for the LeRoy Ambulance. He was a member of St. Peter’s Church, later renamed Our Lady of Mercy, and was very involved in the fundraising and operations for the church as well as Holy Family School and Notre Dame in Batavia. He was a longtime member of the Knights of Columbus, American Legion, and Rotary Club of LeRoy. For years, he loved golfing in LeRoy’s senior leagues. But his biggest joy was spending time with his family.

Larry is survived by his wife Mildred (Wilcocks) Canale of LeRoy and their six children, Dawn Canale of Batavia, N.Y., Larry Canale Jr. of Clinton, Mass., Kelly Carlie (George) of Limerock, N.Y., Lori Canale-Powers (Dave) of LeRoy, N.Y., Anne Canale-Gravanda (Jim) of LeRoy, N.Y., and Jeffrey Canale of LeRoy, N.Y. He is also survived by 12 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.

His Rite of Christian Burial will be held at Our Lady of Mercy Parish, St. Peter’s Church in LeRoy on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 11 a.m. A private burial will follow next week at Western New York National Cemetery in Pembroke.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Larry are suggested to either LeRoy Ambulance Service, 1 Tountas Avenue, LeRoy, N.Y. 14482 or All Babies Cherished, 445 Ellicott Street, Batavia, N.Y. 14020.