Larry D. Herzberg

Larry D. Herzberg

November 5, 1947 – March 23, 2023

Larry D. Herzberg passed away at his home at the age of 75, after a long battle with cancer. He was born Nov. 15, 1947, to Edmond & Frances (Stephens) Herzberg of Shenandoah, Iowa, who preceded him in death.

Larry moved to Omaha immediately after graduating from Shenandoah High School in 1965. He served in the Army Finance Department for 2 years, 7 months, and 5 days (but he said he wasn’t really counting), which included 1 ½ years in Vietnam. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from UNO in 1973. Followed by accounting positions at Byron Reed and Valmont Industries.

He met Mary in 1981, and their first date was nothing short of a disaster from start to finish. Ask Mary to tell you the story sometime. He often commented he couldn’t believe there was a 2nd date. Larry and Mary married on August 21, 1982, and shortly after, Larry decided he was tired of “cleaning up other people’s messes,” meaning accounting messes. So, Mary continued her career, and he became a “stay available” dad and devoted time to their rental properties.

It was not unusual for Mary to come home from work and find the kitchen stove, refrigerator, or even the curtains to be missing from their home because they were needed in one of the rentals. There were many nights they painted way into the early morning hours, so a house could be turned over the next day to new renters. During the first 30 years of their marriage, they lived in 8 different houses as they fixed them up and either rented them or sold them. Around Larry’s 50th birthday, he lost his right eye to Melanoma and realized he was just “cleaning up other people’s messes again,” and decided to get out of the real estate game.

Larry had 3 loves in his life: fixing houses, nice cars, and finding that “great deal” on Craigslist or at an estate sale (he’s been known to buy a fountain or two). His day could not get started without a trip to the coffee shop and quietly reading the morning paper. Friday nights were devoted to his favorite hobby of going out to eat; preferably with a coupon and a good happy hour.

Larry identified his quick temper, and he soon proudly adopted the alias of the Looney Tunes character “Taz.” He proudly displayed his Taz wall plaque in the den and wore his Taz wristwatches, hats, jackets, ties, and 5 denim Looney Tune shirts. His personalized license plates were: Taz I and Taz II.

Larry inherited a passion for fishing in his younger years from his dad and granddad. In more recent years, he said it was his quiet time, where he did a lot of thinking, or was it napping? Either way, it was a good day to come home with fish or the story of the “one that got away”.

Larry is survived by his devoted wife of 40 years, Mary Herzberg; daughter Marla (Tony) Olsen; grandsons Aiden and Paxton Olsen; daughter Christine Lorsch; and brother Edward (Nora) Herzberg of Emerson IA; and many friends.

Honoring Larry’s request, there will be no funeral or memorial service. As a family, we welcome your support and kindness at a visitation to be held on Sunday, March 26^th, 3-5pm, at West Center Chapel.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of your favorite charities, Habitat for Humanity, Juvenile Diabetes, or St. Croix Hospice in Omaha.