Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

Joseph "Larry" Edward Kleno was born in 1933 to his parents Joanna and Edward Kleno in Calumet, Michigan. An only child, Larry was raised Catholic as he grew up during the time of the Great Depression. His mother was a housewife, while his father worked as an industry laborer. Larry had a good childhood and learned how to dance at a young age. He loved dancing and the theatre arts. He graduated from high school and earned a job as a clerk typist in Michigan.

In 1953, Larry voluntarily joined the United States Army. He worked as a Postal Specialist rising to the title of Private First Class in the 25th Infantry Division. Serving during the Korean War, Larry earned the Korean Service Ribbon, the U.N. Service Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal. After finishing his service honorably in 1955, he returned to Michigan and then moved to New York City to pursue his dreams in the entertainment industry.

Larry was in his early 20s, staying in a New York City hotel, when he stepped onto the elevator and made a friend. The elevator operator introduced him to singer Billie Holiday and they became good friends while he was in New York. Always a gentleman, Larry was very good with women and treated them like ladies. He found success in New York and danced on Broadway. He made many friends in the entertainment industry including actor Albert Popwell.

In his late 20s, Larry moved to Los Angeles. He quickly gained work with United Fan Mail Service working with A-list celebrities. Larry always loved working with celebrities and soon became a personal assistant to actress Barbara Stanwyck. He worked with her for a number of years and she loved him. He multi-tasked by doing both personal and professional work for Ms. Stanwyck, along with publicity. After he left United and working for Ms. Stanwyck, he opened his own business, VIP Fan Mail. As the CEO, he was smart with his business and took great care of his confidential clients. He went above and beyond to help expand the fan base for his clients. He served many A-list celebrities for nearly three decades.

His entire life was entertainment related. He loved going to the theatre. He was also fond of movies, especially light comedies, drama, and westerns. He liked listening to cabaret music and he had many friends who were singers. Larry loved to laugh and enjoyed life. He appreciated going out, being dressed up and in fashion. He loved attending annual celebrity parties and he enjoyed going to award shows. He truly embraced anything to do with the entertainment industry, because he was knowledgeable about the business and he was grateful to be a part of it. An avid reader with a wonderful library, he adored reading celebrity biographies and books pertaining to the world of entertainment. With a giving spirit in life, if someone told Larry they were looking for an old movie and couldn't find it, Larry would find it, tape it or give them a copy of it. He even gave his doctor a copy of a movie that his doctor couldn't find. Larry had a great appreciation of art and he was a collector of African works of art. He had a beautiful portrait of Barbara Stanwyck and many old photos of movie stars decorating the walls of his home.

Larry's favorite holiday was Christmas. He loved putting up his Christmas tree, decorations, lights, and a wreath on his front door. While he was mostly local to Los Angeles, Larry enjoyed a few trips to Las Vegas. When he got on a slot machine that was paying off, he stayed on that machine. One time, he was on a machine that was under a vent so long, he caught a cold. But, he went home a winner because the machine was paying off. Although he wasn't a gambler, Larry was very lucky with the slot machines.

With many groups of friends throughout Los Angeles, Larry's friends celebrated birthdays in groups by going out to various restaurants. Larry delighted in fine dining. He was a vegetarian, who savored his coffee every morning with a muffin from the Farmers Market and later, the muffins from Whole Foods. He enjoyed drinking margaritas once in a while, too.

With many creative interests, Larry was an artist. He took joy in drawing caricatures and writing. In 1981, he wrote a best selling book entitled "Kim Novak on Camera." At 320 pages, he researched her life in detail. In more recent years, he wrote two novels that he planned to publish. Upon his retirement, he planned for other projects and he was creating a comprehensive Hollywood reference book. Last year, Larry helped to produce the album, "The Heart & Soul of Mel Carter," and he was proud of his work on the project.

The hardest part of his life was the last year and not being able to do as much as he wanted to do. But, he was up every morning and he'd go to the post office, collect his mail, and found a reason to get up every day and live life. He didn't retire until the middle of December 2009, after his diagnosis, because he loved his work. He was pleased to help build a client's fan base and help their careers. When he told his clients he was going to close his business, they were sad, because Larry was a part of their families. He took care of his clients, their future interests, and he put his clients in good hands. The best parts of his life were working with Barbara Stanwyck, working with celebrities, and having so many good friends.

Even though he had been in and out of the hospital before and after New Year's Day, it was his wish to go home. His wishes were honored and he went home with the help of Hospice on Friday and days later he passed away on the following Wednesday. In many ways, he was at peace and ready to go.

For a little over 25 years, one of his good friends was singer Mel Carter. They lived next door to each other for the last 15 years. Mel will miss his best friend as they spent so much time together and into retirement. Larry was like a brother to Mel, as Mel's mother even adopted Larry as part of the family.

The purpose in Larry's life was the knowledge he imparted to everyone, because he really knew the depths of the entertainment business. A combination of movie stars influenced Larry to be a gentleman and a giving man. Larry was the kind of gift that kept on giving and continues to do so now. He was a man who did so much more than care. He was a man who did something about it, as he valued each and every friendship. He knew how to treat ladies, because he listened to them and respected them. While he was a very private person, he had several different groups of friends. Whether you knew him as Larry or Joe, each person had a different relationship with him. His advice to his friends would be: remember him for what he was to you.

Larry made his own funeral arrangements and requested the songs "Amazing Grace" and "Willing" be performed at his uplifting celebration of life services. Honoring his life devoted to the entertainment industry, Larry Kleno will be laid to rest at Forest Lawn in the Hollywood Hills.