Larry Ely, 64, of St. Paul, Minnesota and formerly of the Grinnell area died January 17, 2008, in Mobile, Alabama, where he was wintering. Funeral services are scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, January 23, at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell with the Rev. Len Eberhart, pastor of the Grinnell United Methodist Church, officiating. Pallbearers are Donnie Briggs, Brad Cook, Rod Felton, Bryan Myers, and Joel Skarin. Burial will be in Hazelwood Cemetery in Grinnell. Visitation will be held one hour prior to service time at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be directed to the Larry Ely Memorial Fund. The son of Laurel J. and Mary Kathryn Brozovich Ely, Larry was bornOctober 23, 1943, in Montour, Iowa. He was a graduate of Melbourne High School and a veteran of the United States Army during the Viet Nam Conflict. He was self-employed for many years. Larry was very caring and kind-hearted. He knew the value of hard work. He enjoyed fishing with his family and socializing with his friends. Survivors include two children, Christopher (Kathy) Ely of Montezuma and Tami (Brad) Cook of Belle Plaine; three sisters, Florine Good of Ames, Nancy (Charles) Stevens of Maricopa, Arizona, and Lucinda 'Suzie' Shook of Omaha, Nebraska; two brothers, Laurel 'Bud' (Mildred) Ely, Jr. of Ames and Tommy Ely of Glenwood; and eight grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; one son, Shannon Ely in 2004; one brother, Francis Ely; and four sisters, Georgia Ely, Mary Myers, Flossie Jean Ely, and Sara Jane McClanahan.