Larry Allan Antczak

Larry Allan Antczak, 67 of Aurora, Colorado, passed away peacefully with family by his side on June 24, 2014. Larry was born on January 12, 1947 in McCook, Nebraska to Walter and Gertrue Antczak. Larry grew up in Grand Island, Nebraska and joined the Army in 1966 where he served his country as a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. Operations conducted during his multiple combat tours included search and rescue missions to locate and extract missing soldiers, in addition to the transport of high ranking officers throughout the Vietnam theatre of operations, including MGEN George Casey, Sr. The bravery displayed during his time in Vietnam earned Larry multiple awards and commendations, including the Bronze Medal, Silver Star and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry. After receiving an honorable discharge from the Army in 1981, Larry continued his service with the Colorado Air National Guard as a helicopter pilot. He went on to work with the U.S. Postal Service and retired in 2009. Larry was an avid gun enthusiast and enjoyed spending time at local gun shows and playing with his ""toys"" at his favorite shooting range. He enjoyed spending time with his pet birds and dogs. Larry is survived by his wife Gale, children Laura Cata, Yvonne Antczak, Jennifer Romero, Joseph ""Ryan"" Antczak, son-in-law Anthony Romero, step-children Heather Freeman and Brett Ponda, seventeen grandchildren, one great-grandchild, siblings Walter Antczak and Judy Necklace, previous wife Mary Andrews, mother of his children, and many extended family members. Recitation of the Rosary will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, June 30 at Horan and McConaty, 11150 East Dartmouth Avenue, Aurora, Colorado. The Memorial Service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 1, at Horan and McConaty 2:00 burial with Honors at Fr. Logan National Cemetery, 3698 South Sheridan Boulevard, Denver, Colorado. A celebration will follow the burial at 4:00 at the home of his daughter and her husband for all who would like to join and share the fond memories you have of Larry. Thank you to all our medical teams that were a part of his care and to the kind team at the Denver Hospice. Your endearing compassion did not go unnoticed. God saw he was getting tired, and a cure was not to be. So he put his arms around him, and whispered, ""Come with me."" With tearful eyes we watched him suffer and saw him fade away. Although we loved him dearly, we could not make him stay. A golden heart stopped beating, he is now at peaceful rest. God broke our hearts to prove to us, he only takes the best.