Gregory Electric founder dies
From North Central College to the Riverwalk, Larry Gregory's handiwork has been at the heart of Naperville for decades.
The founder of Gregory Electric, Inc. died Wednesday at the age of 81 but those who knew him best say his influence on the city lives on.
"Larry was really the best of old Naperville," said Harold Wilde, president of North Central College. "He was a guy who really understood the virtues of hard work and integrity, and there's not a significant volunteer project over last half century in Naperville or North Central College where he wasn't there with his knowledge and his sweat equity and ultimately with philanthropic dollars as well.
"When people ask what makes the community of Naperville special or even North Central College special, it's people like Larry Gregory."
The entrepreneur spent most of his life in Naperville, growing up on a farm that is now the Westfield Fox Valley Shopping Center.
A 1951 graduate of North Central College, he went on to found Gregory Electric, Inc. three years later and for a time was the city's leading electrical contractor.
Gregory remained active with his alma mater long after he donned his cap and gown, working on renovations to North Central College's outdoor athletic facilities and helping install lights on Kroehler Field.
He later became a lifetime trustee of the college and the recipient of numerous awards including the Outstanding Alumni Award, Gael D. Swing Award for Meritorious Service and inductee into the Athletic Hall of Fame. The school's arena in Merner Field House is named for Gregory and his wife Charmaine.
The couple was married for 57 years and have four children, 14 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Daughter Pam Carius says her father was a loyal, loving and self-disciplined man who lived by the motto, "Work will win when wishing won't."
"He was an amazing man who loved to volunteer and help," Carius said. "He loved Naperville, loved the ... people, was very hometown (oriented), very generous, never ever expecting anything in return."
Gregory's volunteer efforts stretched beyond the North Central College campus as he served as a member of the city's plan commission and zoning board, was a past president of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club and a trustee of Edward Hospital, the Heritage YMCA and Grace United Methodist Church. He also served on the Riverwalk Commission and helped build the Naperville landmark.
In 2005 the Daily Herald named Gregory one of the most influential people in Naperville's history. He was also that year's winner of the Naperville Jaycees Lifetime Achievement Award.
In his free time, Gregory was known for his love of waterskiing, taking the time to teach his hobby to anyone willing to learn.
Whether it was electrical work, volunteerism, mobile home trips with Charmaine or getting out onto the water, Mike Gregory said his father put 110 percent into anything he did and could get along with people from all walks of life.
"Not only does he show respect to people doing blue collar jobs he would do well with people in white collar positions," Mike Gregory said. "He was one of those guys, a true humanitarian, he loved people."
A memorial visitation will be held from 2 to 8 p.m. Monday, May 11, at Grace United Methodist Church, 300 E. Gartner Rd., Naperville. Additional visitation will also be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 12, followed by a memorial service at the church.