Laurance (Larry) T Gillaspie Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Athens — Laurance (Larry) Thomas Gillaspie, 83, passed away in the early hours of February 22, 2021, at Columbia Memorial Hospital. Larry was born in Dallas, Texas, on May 4, 1937, to the late Lester Thomas and Laura Bell (Simpson) Gillaspie. He proudly served in the United States Navy from September 28, 1954, until April 25, 1958 as a sonarman aboard the USS Taussig stationed in San Diego and touring the Pacific and East Asia. After his military service, Larry began his formal art training in San Francisco. Between 1960 and 1962, he studied painting with Prof. Franz Nagel at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste (Academy of Fine Art) in Munich, Germany. After his return to the U.S., Larry took drawing classes with Morris Kantor at the Art Students League in New York City and enrolled at the Brooklyn Museum Art School where he studied with Isaac Soyer and others. An accomplished artist himself, Larry also established Gillaspie Gallery initially on the Upper East Side of Manhattan where he exhibited artwork by his contemporaries. With his artist eye, he designed beautiful mats and framed artwork. His work soon turned to art restoration, and he became a highly sought after conservator of artworks on paper, specializing in French Belle Epoque posters and prints by Lautrec, Mucha, Steinlen, Cheret, and others. Larry met his wife Janis Lynn Pforsich in New York City in 1971 when she brought a few prints to his gallery for framing. They were married in 1983 and welcomed their daughter Caroline Laura Gillaspie in 1986. They purchased a home in Athens in 1988 and moved here permanently in 1995. Larry continued his art restoration business from his Athens studio with a beautiful view of the Hudson River. After a long lifetime of experiences that spanned the country and globe, from Texas, California, Japan, Germany, to New York, the most beautiful place in the world to him was beloved Athens. His family and friends will remember his kindness and gentleness, his curiosity and ability to converse on any topic, his creativity, artistry, cleverness, and sense of humor, and the magic he performed as he delicately restored even the most battered works of art to their former brilliance. Larry was predeceased by his parents, Lester and Laura Gillaspie; his brother David Gillaspie, Sr.; and his nephews Damien Gillaspie and Scott Hohla. He is survived by his wife Janis Pforsich; his daughter Caroline Gillaspie; his sister Mary Gillaspie Lee; his nephews David Gillaspie, Jr. and Brian Hohla; his niece April Gillaspie; and in-laws Molly Hayes, Russell Lee, and Bruce and Rosemary (Kompa) Pforsich. Graveside services will be held on Saturday, February 27, 2021 at the family plot of the Old Athens Rural Cemetery, Athens, New York at 11:15 AM with military honors. Memorial donations may be made to the Athens Cultural Center at 24 Second Street, Athens, NY 12015. Condolences may be made at www.richardsfuneralhomeinc.net.

Laurance (Larry) T Gillaspie

May 4, 1937 - February 22, 2021