Larry had two younger sisters, Diana and Debbie.  Debbie, the youngest, is mentally retarded and lives in a "managed care" home near her older sister in PA.  She is relatively happy there.  She has a boyfriend, and participates in various planned activities.  She even belongs to a bowling league!  She is able to receive a better quality of life within the Pennsylvania system, than she ever could have, here in Meigs County.  She always called Larry, "Bubby."  Her sister, Diana, (pictured below) made all the arrangements for her to relocate to PA.

Diana, who understands (probably more than anyone) why Larry took his own life, has been fighting a long battle to regain her own sanity.  She has made several serious attempts at suicide, but fortunately for her, she was able to get the help she needed.  She has spent years in therapy, and is currently still under a therapist's care.

Diana has just recently graduated from Waynesburg College in PA. with a dual degree in Psychology and Sociology.  Her field of study is in psychological research as it pertains to child abuse.  Every bit as brilliant as Larry, she graduated with a 4.0 average, and was named an "Outstanding Post Secondary Education Student" by the Pennsylvania Association for Adult Continuing Education.   She also won The Chauncy C. Lively Award in Psychology, as well as being honored as a Valedictorian for the class of '99!  Diana hopes to go on to getting her Master's, with her ultimate goal a Doctorate in Psychotraumatology.

Diana has six children, Sam 22, Cory 20, Stephen 17, Aaron 16, Katy 8, and Tamara 4.

Diana first realized her talent for sculpture within therapy.  Therapists who specialize in P.T.S.D. therapy (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), often lead their patients into creating with their hands.  Therapists have found that creative endeavors, such as painting, sculpturing, music, etc., bring our "right brains" (or sub-conscious minds) to the forefront, allowing blocked memories to surface, which would otherwise remain blocked by our conscious minds.

Without consciously thinking about it, the patient's blocked memories are formed within the artwork itself.  Looking at the artwork after it is completed, often triggers painful feelings within the patient.  With a therapist's gentle guidance, the patient will most likely begin to recall the "memories" associated with these feelings.  Art therapy has done wonders for Diana.  It has been two years since she last attempted suicide!

Diana's sculptures are so good, that with her permission, I have decided to showcase them on this web page.
 
 
 
 

Diana sculpted this piece shortly after Larry committed suicide.  She named it "Sherry's Pain", but I suspect that she carved a great deal of her own pain into it too.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This is a sculpture of a tangle of briars.  The next two pictures  reveal what lies within those briars.
 

A frightened, naked young woman lies curled up in a fetal position within the briars.
 

Diana tells me that this sculpture sort of formed itself under her hands.  She slowly came to the realization,  that this was her "inner child"!  She wrote a beautiful poem shortly after called "Nothing Inside".
 
 
 

This sculpture is a tribute to the loving memory Diana has of her beloved grandfather.  She adored her grandparents.  She sometimes places the sculpture of her grandfather behind the one of her "inner child", so that it appears as if he is protecting her.