Laurence White Jaquith was born in Cambridge, MA, on December 26, 1944. He passed away in New Bedford, MA, on November 8, 2025, after a brief illness. Larry grew up in Lexington, MA. He attended Lawrence Academy, Hanover College, Brandeis University, and Harvard University, earning degrees in English literature and theatre arts.

From a young age, Larry followed a creative path, driven by his passion for design, literature, film, and ethnography. While serving in the Peace Corps with his wife, Connie, Larry designed and built their adobe home in the Bolivian village of Coromata Alta, where they shared agricultural techniques with the local Aymara community. Upon return to the United States, Larry led a distinguished career as professor and department chair of theatre arts at Kalamazoo College, playing a pivotal role in designing the college's new thrust stage for the theatre. It was during this time that he began conducting independent research on Maroon culture in Suriname's rainforest, a lifelong interest.

Larry's training in theatre arts provided him with a strong foundation for architectural and museum design. He worked in New York and Philadelphia before returning to New England, where he oversaw multiple architectural projects and produced several independent films. Also an avid gardener, Larry's landscape designs in Michigan and Massachusetts were highly regarded, and he enjoyed consulting with friends and neighbors on horticulture techniques.

A love of literature drew Larry to New Bedford, MA, where he opened Subtext Books, curating rare editions and books about New Bedford's rich history. Subtext Books became an integral part of New Bedford's cultural community, offering book readings and signings, and participating in the New Bedford Book Festival and AHA! New Bedford cultural nights. Larry was an active member of the First Unitarian Church in New Bedford for over a decade, where he served as chair of the Finance Committee. All will miss Larry's clever wit and charm.

Larry was predeceased by his parents, Wilbur and Virginia Jaquith; his sister, Cynthia Jaquith; and his brother, Bruce Jaquith. He is survived by his sister, Diane Jaquith; several nieces; a nephew; his former wife, Connie Jaquith; and many close friends.

A memorial service is planned for the spring at the First Unitarian Church in New Bedford.

Larry selected the following poem by Wendell Berry to share.

The Burial of the Old

The old, whose bodies encrust their lives,
Die, and that is well.
They unhinder what has struggled in them.

The light, painfully loved, that narrowed
And darkened in their minds
Becomes again the sky.

The young, who have looked on dying,
Turn back to the world, grown strangely
Alert to each other's bodies.

Wendell Berry