Lawrence Edward Borkowski

Lawrence Edward Borkowski (82), passed away peacefully at home on August 26, 2026, after a brave two-year battle with cancer. Larry was born on September 23, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois. At age two, he moved to Dothan, Alabama, with his mother while his father served in World War II stationed in Enterprise. He returned to Chicago by age five, grew up on Richmond Avenue, and proudly graduated from St. Patrick High School.

The first in his immediate family to attend college, Larry earned his degree from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. He went on to have a long and fulfilling career as a Mechanical Engineer and Plant Manager for Molex Inc., which provided well for his family and allowed him to travel the world and spend eight years living in Huntsville, Alabama. Later in life, he semi-retired and moved to Kansas City to be near his children and grandchildren, finishing his career as an Accounting Auditor for the Internal Revenue Service in downtown Kansas City.

Larry was a man of many passions. He loved visiting his timeshare at Table Rock Lake in Branson, MO, and he loved fishing. He loved gardening at his home using large pots to grow tomatoes and peppers. He enjoyed watching classic movies on TCM, and keeping up with the football season—for which he built an elaborate spreadsheet to feed stats into each week to make his football pool picks. He adored his bird, Pauly, and delighted in babysitting his children’s pets. An accomplished home cook, Larry enjoyed baking fresh bread, making cheesecake, and hosting dinner for family. He appreciated the simple routine of a nightly martini and a good laugh—often to the point of tears—sharing stories of crazy past adventures or good-naturedly poking fun at his own antics.

At age 21, Larry married the love of his life, Lois Borkowski (Kortyka). Together they shared over sixty years of marriage and raised three sons, also enduring the painful loss of a fourth son early in his life. Following Lois’ passing a couple of years ago, Larry missed her dearly, but showed remarkable independence and resilience at home.

He cherished his family deeply, felt immensely blessed to see his six grandchildren and two great grandchildren grow, and maintained close relationships with lifelong friends and extended family—including his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, John and Angie Kortyka, who had relocated to Kansas City. Per his wishes, Larry will be cremated and his ashes spread in the places he called home, including Chicago, Huntsville, and Lee’s Summit.

We will have an open house celebration of life for Larry and Lois on September 26, 2026 at Legacy Grill, 700 NE Woods Chapel Rd, Lee’s Summit, MO 64064, from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

Larry was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Lois Borkowski; his parents, Edward and Genevieve Borkowski; and his son, Luke Borkowski.

He is survived by his three children, Larry (Michelle) Borkowski, Lee (Jennifer) Borkowski, and John (Sarah) Borkowski; six grandchildren, Brittany (Josh) Casey, Justin Borkowski, Kylee Borkowski, Jake Borkowski, Logan Borkowski, and Ben Borkowski; two great-grandchildren, Caroline Casey and Vivian Casey; and his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, John and Angie Kortyka.