Lawrence Greenberg

Hilton Head, S.C. — Lawrence J. Greenberg, 93, died March 16, 2024, at his home in Hilton Head, S.C., after a brief illness. With him was Jo Thune-Larsen, his companion of 32 years.

Larry was born Aug. 8, 1930, in Windber, Pa., to Morris and Dorothy Greenberg, Hungarian immigrants. He spent his childhood in Cresson, Pa., an Allegheny mountain town, where his father owned and operated a clothing store. He graduated from the Pennington School, Yale University, and Harvard Law School. His law career, which spanned nearly 60 years, started at Suisman Shapiro in New London in 1956. In 1958, he partnered with Seymour Hendel, with whom he practiced until Judge Hendel’s appointment to Superior Court. He then teamed up with other local lawyers, including Judge Barbara Quinn and Attorneys Jacques Parenteau and Lois Andrews, before returning to Suisman Shapiro, from which he retired in 2015. In his practice, he helped many area residents with estate planning, advised health care professionals, and represented major area businesses.

Larry was an English major at Yale, and while he chose law over academia, he remained an engaged intellectual all his life. As a member of Beth El synagogue, he gave book talks on his favorite authors, who included Saul Bellow and Philip Roth. He was a supporter of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center and belonged to the World Affairs Council chapter in Hilton Head, where he attended, participated in, and led discussion of current events. His children were all professionally involved in culture and politics, and he enjoyed conversations with them about national and world politics. He followed the news closely until his final days and was deeply troubled by what he saw as America’s creep toward fascism, which he frequently said reminded him of the events that had led to the extermination of his parents’ families in the Holocaust.

Larry and Jo’s retirement home was adjacent to a golf course — an odd choice for a man who never swung a golf club in his life (although he did play tennis into his late 70s). But he was there for the other amenities—ample sun, the ocean, and walking trails for himself and his many dogs — which, in addition to his daily, rain-or-shine calisthenics, allowed him to maintain his health and Speedo-ready physique, of which he was justly proud.

Larry was predeceased by his sister, Sylvia Lebowitz. In addition to Jo, he is survived by his daughter Karen (Danny Goldberg) of Pound Ridge, N.Y.; his son Gary (Susan Powers) of Scotland, Conn.; his son Richard (Dinelia Martinez) of New York, N.Y.; and five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

No memorial service is planned. Donations may be made to Hospice Care of the Lowcountry in Bluffton, SC. www.keithfuneral.com