John Larry Branch

John Larry Branch passed away peacefully on Monday, July 25, 2022. Larry was born on August 1, 1948, to John and Myrtle Branch.

He graduated Ruston High School in 1967 and immediately joined the Navy. During his seven years in the Navy, he spent three tours of duty in Vietnam as a corpsman on the USS Sanctuary. It was during this time that he was exposed to Agent Orange which started his lifelong battle withlung disease.After his service with the Navy, he worked in emergency rooms in central Louisiana hospitals, worked offshore in the oil industry and was a welder before a tragic boating accident took his right arm. After the accident, Larry moved to the Lake Claibornearea.This is where he met his best friends Trip Parsons, Jim Slayton and Kelvin Gonzales. Larry’s passion in life was to deer hunt. He was described by his friends as “ a deer’s worst nightmare!” He especially liked to travel to Arkansas every year to hunt with his brotherMike.He used to joke that somebody had to show those Arkies how to kill a big deer! Larry recently reconnected with hishigh school buddies Bill Carter, Donald Colvin and Jim Tuten. When they got together, they would always talk about the good ole days growing up in Ruston.

The family would like to thank Dr. Kimberly Jones with the VA Hospital in Shreveport and Dr. Howard Murray in Monroe, along with all the other doctors and nurses who provided care to him over the past 35 years.

A special thank you to Mary Williams who was his primary caregiver for the last 12 years.

Larry is survived by his brother Mike and his wife Carla of Little Rock; a special aunt, Joyce Henderson of Winnfield; numerous cousins and his beloved dog Trixie.

Larry requested no memorial service and that he be buried next to his “ Momma and Daddy” at the New Hope Cemetery in Garrs Mill, Louisiana.