Larry Dale Beisel

Class of 1979

Larry Beisel was born in Perry in 1961 to Cecil and Ann Beisel. While growing up in Perry, he developed a passion for Maroon sports. He was a state champion wrestler for Perry High School in addition to playing football and baseball. He was also an excellent student and was selected
for Boys State in 1978. After graduating from PHS in 1979, Larry chose to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and become an officer in the U.S. Army.

Larry was an exemplary cadet who represented Army on the football field and on the wrestling mat, where he qualified for the NCAA Championships. Larry graduated in 1983. Though he was invited to try out for the 1984 U.S. Olympic wrestling team, he chose to begin his career in the military, his lifelong dream.

Larry’s Army career spanned 30 years, with four tours in Europe where he was a defense attaché and a foreign area officer. As a defense attaché, he served on peace treaty negotiations in a top-secret position, doing classified work that he was not allowed to discuss off the job.

He served in Afghanistan, Germany, Iraq, Lithuania, and Russia. A lieutenant colonel, Larry completed his military career as the highest-ranking military officer in Lithuania, assisting in the negotiation of several international defense treaties. He was fluent in seven languages.

Larry was an extraordinary man who lived an extraordinary life that represented the best qualities of a Perry Maroon. God, honor, country, and family were his trademarks after a standout high school career.

Larry passed away at age 59 on May 2, 2021, and was survived by his wife Rebecca, daughter Kaitlyn, and two grandchildren. He was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, near the capital of the nation he loved so deeply and to which he devoted his life.