Lawrence Bermes

Surrounded by his loving family, Lawrence John Bermes, 58, passed away Wednesday, December 19, 2012 in Billings, Montana. Larry was born September 16, 1954 in Missoula, Montana, the son of John M. and Beverly A. (Birrer) Bermes. The family moved to Billings where he attended school, graduating from Central High School in 1972. He received a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from the University of Montana in 1976. Larry met Carolyn Converse in high school, they attended college together and were united in marriage on June 12, 1976. They essentially grew up together, had a family and shared many wonderful adventures together. Larry was happiest with Carolyn by his side. After attaining his CPA license and working for local and regional CPA firms, he then decided to open his own practice. During this time Larry taught Accounting at Eastern Montana College and also drove truck for his Dad. Soon his practice grew and he was doing what he loved to do. He always said, “My office is my sandbox, I go there to play!” He also talked about how numbers spoke to him. He could look at a page of numbers and just knew what they were saying. As a colleague said, it was not only Larry's depth of knowledge it was also his breadth of knowledge that made him so special. Larry liked working with computers, and was a master shopper. He so enjoyed finding the best price for what he was looking for, especially on eBay. Larry enjoyed many activities with his family, skiing at Bridger Bowl, taking long bike rides, traveling to Yellowstone Park, Washington DC and especially Disneyland, when the kids were old enough to ride Space Mountain and Tower of Terror with him. He loved taking his young granddaughters to the newest animated movies and to play at the park. He enjoyed listening to the Beatles, attending live concerts, and was an avid Griz and Yankees fan. Larry was a generous man. Anything he had left over from his many home projects was always donated to Habitat for Humanity, he gave to the Food Bank because he wanted every family to be able to have food on the table and gave to the High School Student Need Fund because he was touched by how many teens and young adults in our community have a great need for basic necessities. Larry was a member of the American Institute of CPA's, the Montana Society of CPA's and a QuickBooks ProAdvisor. He had belonged to the Jaycees and was a member of the Parish Council at St. Pius X Catholic Church. Larry was preceded in death by his son, Benjamin. He is survived by his parents; his wife, Carolyn; daughters, Brittany Bermes, Katherine (Stephen) Meyers, and Madeline Bermes; granddaughters Zoe and Sophia Bermes; sisters Lori (Rich) Deichert, Lyn (Greg) Oldham, Lisa (Joe) Troxel, and Leah (Joe) Howard; numerous aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. Service: A Memorial Service for Larry will be held at 11am Thursday, December 27 at St. Pius X Catholic Church, 717 18th St West, Billings MT 59102 with a luncheon to follow.