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Lawrence Ronald Papuga, Sr. longtime resident of Clinton passed away on Oct. 16 at Guilford House Nursing Center. The beloved husband of Mary (Madelung) Papuga, Mr. Papuga was born in New Haven on May 9, 1952, son of the late George Papuga and Erika (Kroll) Papuga.

He was th loving father of Lawrence Papuga, Jr. (Janice Papuga), Christopher Papuga (Alyson Papuga), and Eric Papuga (Rebekah Coffey). He is also survived by five grandchildren, Isabel, Emilia, Abigail, Camryn, and Kylie; 10 siblings, George Jr., Glenn, Lorraine, Douglas, Gregory, Linda, Charles, Deborah, Sandra, and Timothy; and many nieces and nephews.

Mr. Papuga worked as a master mechanic for more than 50 years. He attended Eli Whitney Technical School, which propelled him to starting his career at A-1 Toyota. Soon after that, Larry and his brother Greg opened their first business, Trolley Square Service Center in East Haven. Larry closed out his mechanical career with his son Christopher at Shoreline Auto Sales of Branford. He never retired, but throughout his life he had many businesses that were successful and will be remembered as a staple in the community.

Larry enjoyed LIFE! Spending time with his wife and family was more precious to him than anything. His smile and laugh were contagious. He always did what he said and stood by his word. Larry had a competitive nature like no other and was a master of everything—a perfectionist to say the least.

Larry will be deeply missed and not a day will go by where there isn’t something that reminds us of how grateful we were to have him as a father, husband, brother, Opa, and friend.

A memorial service was held on Oct. 23 at Branford Evangelical Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Smilow Cancer Hospital, Closer to Free, P.O. Box 1490, New Haven, CT 06511.

Arrangements were in the care of the Guilford Funeral Home. To share a memory or leave condolences, visit www.guilfordfuneralhome.com.