LAWRENCE “LARRY” DENNY BARTELL
1956-2021
Lawrence “Larry” Denny Bartell, beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend, passed away January 23,2021. He was born November 10, 1956 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, but his family moved to Houston, Texas shortly after. Larry went to high school at the Tilton School in Tilton, New Hampshire. He really enjoyed his time at the Tilton School. He made lifelong friends, loved to play lacrosse, and became an avid skier while he was living in the Northeast. He was affectionately known by others there as “Tex” and wore his cowboy boots proudly. After high school, Larry attended Texas Tech University where he met his wife, Patty Grube. They were married August 2, 1980 in Freer, Texas. Once married, Larry and Patty moved to Norman, Oklahoma, where Larry received his Bachelors of Science Degree from the University of Oklahoma. They welcomed their first son, James Denny and moved to Houston where Larry began working at Bartell Exploration as a partner and Geologist with his father. They soon welcomed daughters Ashley Ann and Heather Leigh. Their fourth son, David Howard, was born in 1995.
Larry spent time volunteering for various organizations, such as: the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Houston Geological Society, American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies, and the Tilton School. Larry received the President’s Award and the Distinguished Service Award from the Houston Geological Society. Additionally, he was a member of the three-man exploration team that was voted the AAPG’s Outstanding Exploration Group in 2010. His commitment to his family and friends was special. He would often coach his children’s sports teams, or be cheering loudly in the stands. He was known as the life of the party, and you could hear his famous cackle laugh for miles. He was the happiest when surrounded by friends and family whether he was in Houston, at the family’s Frio River Ranch in Concan, Texas, or spending time in Crested Butte, Colorado. Larry had so many friends from all areas of his life, and never met a stranger.
Larry is survived by his wife, Patty Bartell, son James Bartell and daughter-in-law Mallory Nelson Bartell, daughter Ashley Bartell, daughter Heather Bartell Roberts and son-in-law Jonathan Roberts, and son David Bartell and his fiancé Elyse Ross. His four precious grandchildren Harris and Blair Bartell and Reagan and Patrick Roberts. His father, James Denny Bartell and his sister Ellen Bartell. His brother-in-law, James Grube, his wife Rachel, and their children. He was preceded in death by his mother, Dixie Deupree Bartell, father-inlaw, Howard Herschel Grube, and mother-in-law, Eloise Grube.
A Memorial Service will be held for Larry at Grace Presbyterian Church located at 10221 Ella Lee Lane, Houston, Texas 77042 on Saturday, January 30th at 11:00am. The service will also be live streaming, https://www.facebook.com/ Grace-Presbyterian-Memorials-106519187991590.
The family is grateful for the outpouring of support from family and friends, as well as all the help Larry received in his final hours at the hospitals in Colorado. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The Westview School (1900 Kersten Dr, Houston, TX 77043 or online: https:// www.westviewschool.org/ support-us/), or the Tilton School (Tilton School Development 30 School Street, Tilton, NH 03276 or online: https://www.tiltonschool. org/support-tilton/giveonline )