Obituary of Lawrence C. Toporek

April 24, 1964 - December 25, 2020

Larry C. Toporek.  Age 56 of Grosse Ile.

Beloved husband of Kelly (Evans) Toporek.  Loving father of Ava Toporek, Jack Toporek and George Toporek. Dear brother of Kelly Toporek-Wysocki and Paul Toporek. Extended friend to; Bill (Mary) Comer.   

Cremation will take place at The On-Site Crematory located within the Molnar Funeral Homes - Brownstown Chapel.

A Memorial Service will be held at a later date. Please check back for updated service information.

Family Tribute 

On Christmas morning, December 25, 2020, the Toporek family lost their steward of love and the world lost its luster. Lawrence Conrad Toporek passed away suddenly from a ​Ruptured aneurysm of the internal iliac artery. Larry’s last moments were spent surrounded by his wife of 25 years, Kelly Toporek, their three children, Jack Conrad, George Lawrence and Ava Rose and their nephew, Tristan Brewer.

Larry was born in Detroit on April 24, 1964, to the late Conrad Jerome Toporek and Marjorie Mary Toporek (Sharp). Larry would go on to become the proud older brother, protector and friend to his younger brother and sister, Paul Toporek and Kelly Wysocki (Toporek). The union of the Toporek and Sharp families would set the stage for a life of love, laughter and adventure for the many cousins, the most recent being the 35th Annual Kaleva Shoot-Out.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Larry was initiated into the UA Pipefitters Local 636 on February 2, 1988. Larry spent his next 32 years honing his craft, creating a web of peers that quickly became lifelong friends and mentoring countless apprentices, to which he shared his years of experience in the trade while bringing laughter and art to every job site. Larry was most grateful for his time spent mentoring Mason Larkin and thought of Mason as a son, friend and fellow union brother.

In February of 1995, Larry Toporek and Kelly Evans told their family and friends that they were heading up north for the weekend, as they had done countless times before. Little did anyone know this was a ruse as Larry and Kelly eloped to Las Vegas and on February 11, 1995, Larry and Kelly were married at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Years later, Larry and Kelly would return to the Little White Chapel with their three kids, Jack, George and Ava. Larry’s love and adoration for his family propelled them into a life filled with laughter and the kind of love that knew no bounds. As a father, he led by example as he let his blinding light of compassion, genuine care for family, friends, neighbors and strangers shine unapologetically, all the while leaving behind a trail of laughter, smiles and love. What Larry impressed upon the hearts of his children can only be expressed by the words written by his oldest son, Jack Conrad Toporek:  “Larry Toporek. Dr. Zoom. Zoomer. The greatest man I’ve ever met. Dad.

A lot of people knew my dad by a lot of different names. With every person that knew him, there is a story, and where there’s a story there’s a connection. One of the most amazing things about my dad was his ability to effortlessly connect and form relationships with literally anyone whose path crossed his own. Looking back now I can see how his profession fit so perfectly with his personality. He was a pipefitter by trade and recreationally he was just about everything else. His job was making connections between pipes that ran for miles. I was lucky enough to work with him for about 6 months as an extra pair of hands. I swear, every single time he made a phone call, he’d know the person who’d pick up. He knew their name and he remembered them. It was ridiculous sometimes when a call about pipe fittings would turn into a conversation about a family member or reminiscing about some old story that I’d never heard before. I doubt there will ever be someone with more close friends than my dad. His ability to level with people and treat them without the slightest bit of discrimination or bias was astounding. I don’t think I’d ever realized how amazing it was until I had the chance to work every day with him. It never mattered where we were or where we were going for a job. I knew that when we got there he’d probably already have known the owners or employees for decades.

When I found out that my dad passed away suddenly on Christmas morning, my first thoughts were about his friends. I thought about my Uncle Bill in Alaska who was by all means a brother to my dad for his entire life. I thought of Mike and Joey, two of his lifelong best friends. I thought of his siblings, Paul and Kelly. I thought of my great Uncle Thom who has so many stories of my dad. I thought of Les and Johnny, because I knew how much he loved them. I thought of about 5 different people named Mary. I thought of Kenny, Eric, Bruce, Mason, Rob and Brian. All people who he knew and loved like family regardless of blood. That’s only scratching the surface of his pool of friends. He talked about each and every one of them on a daily basis. His ability to think about and stay in touch with them was amazing. He forged bonds with people that he would not let break. His ability for compassion and care is something I probably will never be able to fathom.”

This loss will never set in as his spirit, memory and iconic sense of humor will fill our days with a kind of love and warmth that only graces this world once in a lifetime. This world will never be the same.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you honor the memory of Larry by doing what he did best, hug your wife, inspire your kids, help your neighbor, nurture a friendship and above all else, make someone laugh.

A celebration of Larry’s life will be held this spring and the family will release details as soon as possible.