Larry Pfeifer
July 20th, 1958 — November 9th, 2018
We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.
— Mother Teresa
Early Life
Larry Alan Pfeifer was born July 20th, 1958 in Cheyenne, WY to working class parents. His father, Jack, worked as an investigator for Union Pacific Railroad while his mother Betty Lee was an office worker. The family (including older sister Michele) would progressively move west, following the railroad, until they settled for good in Beaverton, OR just outside of Portland. Larry spent most of his childhood in the Portland Metro Area and would eventually graduate from Beaverton High School, where he was on the baseball team and played trumpet in the marching band. He was also an avid skateboarder with his neighborhood friends. Larry would go on to attend Southern Oregon College (now Southern Oregon University) where he was very active in intramural sports with his large group of friends. He would graduate with his Bachelor’s in music and a Master’s in education.
Fire Service
While Larry had graduated college intending to become a music teacher, his career took a decidedly different turn. While attending SOU, he was accepted into an internship with the Ashland Fire Department where he ran calls in exchange for room and board. He spent a few summers between school years doing wildland firefighting in Southern Oregon and Northern California. Following his graduation from SOU, Larry was offered a paid position with Ashland Fire, and that would be the start of a decades long career of fire and EMS service. When it came time to move to a larger department, Larry was 1 of 4 firefighters hired out of hundreds of applicants with Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue in the Portland Metro Area. He would achieve the rank of Captain and stand in as Battalion Chief on many occasions. As Captain, he could continue to work 24 hour shifts and share in parenting duties at home. He would also spend several years teaching in the Paramedic program at Oregon Health and Science University.
Legacy
Larry mentored countless young firemen and women during his time at TVF&R. While he never did become the music teacher he initially intended, he taught many EMS providers the knowledge and skills they are still using today to assist community members in need. Larry always demanded the best out of himself and held his colleagues to similarly high standards. He was also involved in numerous quality improvement projects at his department, always looking for things that could be done better and serve others more efficiently. We want to support and financially assist other industrious firefighters and EMS providers who seek to serve the people of Oregon with the Larry Pfeifer Memorial Scholarship. With this effort, Larry can continue to mentor the brotherhood of firefighters that he so dearly cared for, even though he is no longer with us.
My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
John 14:2-3