Larry Charbonneau

Larry F. Charbonneau, age 77, of Faribault, passed away Friday, May 5, 2017 at the Owatonna Hospital.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, May 12, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. at the Divine Mercy Catholic Church, 139 Mercy Drive, Faribault. Interment will be at the Calvary Cemetery in Faribault.

Visitation will be held at the Parker Kohl Funeral Home in Faribault on Thursday from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. and on Friday for one hour prior to the services at the church.

The family prefers that memorials be directed to Divine Mercy Catholic Church in memory of Larry.

Larry Francis was born on August 14, 1939 in Faribault to Francis and Lois (Pleschourt) Charbonneau. He graduated from Faribault High School with the class of 1957. Following high school he was active with the National Guard. He attended St. Thomas University and graduated from Mankato State University. Following graduation he worked for 3M Corp in St. Paul before he pursued further education. He was married to Kathryn Anderson on April 16, 1966 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in White Bear Lake, MN. Larry completed his Masters in 1969 and his Doctorate in 1972, both from the University of Illinois. For five years he worked in research with General Motors. Then Larry had a lengthy career in polymer chemistry with involvement in 75 different patents. He worked for Celanese, which later was acquired by Hoechst, the largest chemical company in the world, and retired in 1998 with Dupont. Larry's specialty was in liquid crystal polymers. His most notable patent was Vectra, which can be found in most computer and cell phone today. His career offered him travels around the world several times and prided himself in his 50-year membership with the American Chemistry Society (ACS). Larry and Kathy lived in New Jersey for most of his career, returning to Faribault in 2006. He then started his own company, Lakefront Consulting.

Larry enjoyed hunting, fishing, vegetable gardening, loved to cook and was a wine connoisseur. He would often read anything related to chemistry and also enjoyed watching sports. He was a Fourth Degree member of the Knights of Columbus and dedicated himself to serving the Catholic Church in many different capacities. As active as his career was, he made family his priority and enjoyed their special times together.

He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Kathy Charbonneau of Faribault; children, Angela (Mike) Martin of Howell, NJ and Mark Charbonneau of Woodbridge, NJ; grandchildren, Michael and Daniel Martin, and Jacob Charbonneau; sister, Sharon (Arnold) Gillen of Faribault; niece, Denise Gillen; nephew, Jim (Laura) Gillen; and other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Francis and Lois; brother, Dale Charbonneau; and grandson, Luke Martin.