After four decades with the City of Lemoore, Larry Avila plans to work on golf game

At the time Lemoore’s population was about 10,000 or so. Avila, now 62, has seen the population more than double to about 25,000 and has seen many changes in Lemoore.

On Wednesday, August 7, Avila officially retires from the City of Lemoore after 40 years, making him one of the longest serving employees in the history of Lemoore. The city had a farewell luncheon for him on Friday and later that same day he was seen hobnobbing with friends at Friday night’s Rockin’ the Arbor.

Sometime during those 40 years Larry met and married his wife Patty, had a couple of kids by the names of Jacob and Kristi and began watching the city change over those 40 years.

Avila began in the refuse department and worked there a few years before transferring to the streets department. In 1977, at about the time Jimmy Carter became president, Avila found himself in the janitorial department, where he’s been ever since.

“I did a little bit of everything at the city,” he said. The city manager who hired him in 1973 was Dale Cowan. Along the way Larry worked for Bill Drennan, Allen Goodman, Steve Froberg and Jeff Briltz.

Avila was responsible for the care of most of the city’s office buildings including city hall, civic center, public works, planning, fire and police departments and corporation yard. He kept pretty busy, particularly when the city started expanding in the 1980s.

“I loved my job,” he said. “I always did enjoy working for the city.”

In his retirement years he intends to catch up on his fledgling golf game and continue working in the recreation department as a referee. He does indoor soccer and flag football.