Larry Dale Jennings

Larry Dale Jennings, age 75, died peacefully in his daughter’s home in Lexington, MO, on Thursday, October 8, 2026. Larry was a lifelong resident of the Holden area. Those whose paths crossed with his will surely remember him as one-of-a-kind, a true original.

Larry was born on September 23, 1951, to Alvin Kenneth and Lucille Frances (Gordon) Jennings. He was the second of four children. Larry grew up on the family farm outside of Holden, MO and graduated from Holden High School in 1969. Larry wreaked a fair amount of havoc in his youth, racing motorcycles and tinkering with dynamite but thankfully no real harm endured. One of his major regrets from this period was that he missed watching the Beatles perform live on the Ed Sulivan Show because he had to do farm chores instead.

He married Kathy M. (Disney) Staton on August 8, 1975, at the Elm Springs Baptist Church, where he was a lifelong member. They began their married life in Great Falls, Montana, where Larry worked as commodities broker. During those years, he developed a lifelong love of the mountains.

The couple moved back to Missouri in 1980 and settled in Gunn City. Their first daughter, Valerie M. Jennings, was born in 1982 and their second daughter, Sarah A. Jennings followed in 1984. Larry completed his bachelor’s degree in computer science at CMSU in 1984 and worked for many years thereafter as a computer programmer and systems analyst, where he was appreciated for his sharp analytic thinking. Among his proclaimed contributions was the invention of the treemap chart while working at SAS in the 1990’s (remains unverified).

Larry worked on the family farm throughout his life and was a farmer at heart. Up until the end of his life, he loved taking road trips to look at and evaluate the condition of local crops.

Larry was an avid chess player and member of various chess clubs throughout his life. He played at a high level, even attaining the status of “master” while in college. First-hand witnesses confirm that he once played against three different opponents simultaneously while blindfolded, and won all three games!

Larry never met a stranger and possessed an uncanny ability to find a topic of common interest when talking with others. This was probably aided by his deep knowledge of a wide range of topics, both common and obscure. His comments were always grounded in truth, although he was sometimes prone to exaggerate; this was part of his charm.

Larry had a big heart and always wanted to help others, especially those less fortunate. Many individuals in the community will remember some mark of generosity that he has left on their life.

Larry was an active grandparent and enjoyed tremendously to travel with his grandsons. They have had some incredible adventures together.

Larry is preceded in death by his father, mother and brother (Kenneth Jennings). He is survived by: his two daughters, Valerie Jennings (Daniel Krug) of Belgium and Sarah Jennings of Lexington; two grandsons, Cole Atkinson and Chase Atkinson; one great-grandson, Cade Baker; and two sisters (Rosalie Wilson, of Lenexa, KS and Linda Brown, of Liberty, MO).

A memorial lunch is planned at Elm Springs Baptist Church on Sunday, October 18, after the morning service. Please bring your favorite story of Larry.

In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to the Lexington Chess Club. Larry deeply enjoyed their weekly gathering during the last months of his life, and he still won most of the time!

https://www.supportnow.org/larry-jennings-memorial-fund

Daughters Valerie and Sarah would like to thank everyone in the community who has contributed to the care of their father since his stroke last year.