Laurence Woodrow “Larry” Bruner
July 31, 1943 – November 19, 2024
Larry was the first of five children born to Ruth and Woody Bruner and spent his early years in Cincinnati, Ohio. According to his family , he was very bright, creative, mischievous, and had an independent mind. Gifted with a rich singing voice, he spent several years attending the Catholic Diocese of Cincinnati Choir School. When the family moved to Cleveland, Larry went to St. Ignatius High School, graduating from there and later from John Carroll with a degree in economics and speech.
Larry was truly a child of the ‘60s – in the best way. He enthusiastically took to the new music that emanated first from the folk and later rock music scene. He also wrote a column for the folk scene in Cleveland titled “Coffee Is My Drug,” but more accurately it was music that was always his drug. It was his life-long passion to grow and nurture the Northeast Ohio music community. Many people first met him as manager and scheduler of the coffee-house night club LaCave at E. 106th and Euclid from 1967 until it closed in 1969. Ten of the groups that performed at LaCave performed at Woodstock in 1969.
After LaCave, Larry stayed engaged in the music scene in Cleveland by behind the scenes work nurturing artists and venues, while being a regular at many local concerts and following national artists. In 1993, he was one of the founders of Folknet, the Northeast Ohio Folk and Traditional Music and Dance Society. For many years in the Folknet newsletter, Continuum, he meticulously prepared an extensive calendar listing of local to regional music events. Larry broadcast music calendar highlights weekly at WRUW. He helped launch WNCR. One of Larry’s proudest moments was working with Marcia Petchers as co-coordinators of the Folk Alliance s12th Annual International conference held in Cleveland in 2000. For this undertaking they were presented with a 2000 Arts Achievement Award from Northern Ohio Live.
Beginning in the 1960s, Larry also displayed a deep compassion for people in crisis. He spent much of his working life staffing various shelters and rehab programs. Among the places he worked at were Safe Space Teen Shelter, Glenbeigh Treatment Center, and the Jones Home for Children. For many years, he was a volunteer crisis counselor at the Free Clinic on Euclid Ave. He did draft counseling as well. He also edited several newsletters for non-profit organizations.
In 2000, Larry contracted Parkinson’s Disease and lived with its increasingly debilitating effects until the end of his life. Increasingly the disease limited his activities and eventually his ability to communicate. It is a testimony to Larry’s character that he never complained about the painful and damaging course of this illness.
Larry died at St. Augustine Health Campus in Cleveland, where he was a resident for the past five years. He leaves behind a son, Roger Clark (Sarah), three sisters: Anne Bruner (Mike Reiling), Carol Skibinski(Ron), and Janice Dovel (Lenny Burns), nieces and nephews, and numerous friends and admirers.
Larry’s life will be celebrated at the Brennan Party Center, 13000 Triskett Road on Saturday, November 30 at noon. A meal will follow the celebration.
In Larry’s honor, donations can be made to Cleveland Rocks @ https://clevelandrocksppf.org/. Its stated mission is “to support and preserve Cleveland’s popular music culture and enrich local social welfare and economic growth by stimulating music-centered initiatives.” Larry would be an enthusiastic member!