PORTLAND – Larry Willette, 62, of Amy Street, Poland, died Wednesday, Nov. 15 in Portland following a brief illness.

Larry was born in Lewiston on April 23, 1945, the son of Robert Willette and Laurette Dumas Willette. He attended schools in Durham and Lisbon and served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam Conflict of 1962 to 1968 and the Cuban Crisis. He attended Southern Maine Vocational Technical School, graduating from the culinary arts program with honors in 1974. He was a chef in area restaurants and was a personal chef to the Payson Estate in Freeport. He worked for many years for the U.S. Gypsum plant prior to retiring in April of this year. Currently he was working at Wal-Mart in Auburn.

He is survived by his wife, Patricia of Poland; his children, Theresa Willette, Jeremy Willette of Hungary and Renae Willette of Germany; stepchildren, Maurice Jalbert Jr. of Gray, Melissa Lamontagne and husband, Billy, of Auburn; his mother, Laurette Chapman of Turner; brothers, Alan and wife, Francine, of Durham and Glenn and wife, Jean, of Temple; sister, Sherry Green of New Jersey; half-sister, Aimee Paprotny of Nevada; stepbrother, Arthur Chapman III; stepsisters, Jane Bennett and Jean Cogguillo; a stepgrandson, Quinn Robert Hill; and an “honorary mom,” Gloria Soucie of Brunswick; and many special family members and friends.