Business & Community Leader Passes Away

A leading force in Vernon’s auto dealership history has passed away.

Larry Walthers purchased Parkside Pontiac Buick GMC across from Polson Park in 1982, which  became one of the most awarded GM dealers in Canada, with the business selling over one thousand vehicles a year.

“Larry was a man who loved cars from a young age and that passion led him to pursue a career in the automobile business,” reads his obituary.

Walthers moved and expanded his operations in 1995, building a new dealership at a site on 27th Street and calling it Walthers Pontiac Buick GMC, which he and his family operated until his retirement in 2010.

Walthers, who was born in Vancouver, but raised in Hedley BC, was 75.

He died Nov. 16.

A celebration of life is expected to be held by his family in the spring.

Click here for Walther’s obituary from the Vernon Morning Star.