Larry Henry Freitag, 62, of Mount Vernon, passed away suddenly Sept. 4, 2007, at his home. He was born Jan. 5, 1946, in Madison, Wis., to John C. and Bernice (Maertz) Freitag. Larry attended Monona Grove High School and graduated from Deerfield High School in 1963.

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and became a flight engineer. Larry spent his first tour of duty in Adak, Alaska, and then Ewa Beach, Hawaii. He spent four years flying missions over Vietnam and was proud of his membership in the Blue Sharks Squadron. Larry moved to Alameda, Calif., and then Oak Harbor where he finished his career.

He loved photography, but his biggest love was race cars, especially sprint and midget cars. Larry also worked at the race track, driving a push truck. He is survived by his mother, Bernice Maertz Freitag; two aunts, Irene (Keith) Freitag and Betty (Jim) Reinen; and an uncle, Leroy (Mary) Maertz. Larry was preceded in death by his father, John C. Freitag; maternal grandparents, Henry and Isabella Maertz; paternal grandparents, Jacob and Emma Freitag; four uncles, Richard, Henry Jr., Norbert and Arthur Maertz; and four aunts, Hattie Christopherson, Anna Benish, Leona Swerig and Audrey Schwark.

A Memorial Mass will be held in Madison on Saturday. Sept. 29, at 10:30 a.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 5101 Schofield St., with Fr. John Meinholz presiding. Visitation will be at the church from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service. Inurnment will be at Highland Memorial Gardens. A special thanks to Larry’s best friend, David (Vicki) Stunes, in Washington. Gunderson East Funeral and Cremation Centers is in charge of arrangements.