An Extraordinary Life: Larry Kane took photos for sports pages, crime labs and Joliet police

Former Herald-News sports editor Dick Goss called photographer Larry Kane “a good news person.”

That’s because Larry always wanted to shoot a sporting event to the end – as well as any post-game celebration, too, Dick said. So Larry would push the deadline for submitting the photos to the Herald-News as close as he could, Dick added.

“I thought that was admirable,” Dick said. “You always want to get the best possible coverage you can.”

Dick said many times he and Larry would be sitting at a nearby restaurant late at night on Wi-Fi “just to get our pictures and stories in.” In fact. Larry was well-known in the Joliet area for shooting sports events and not just for The Herald-News.

Joe Marshall, president of the Crest Hill Pony League, commissioner for the DuPage River Baseball League and basketball official, said he’d met Larry when he was taking pictures at high school games, at least 20 years ago.

Soon, Larry started covering the baseball leagues, too.

“This is what’s amazing about him,” Joe said. “He was always there early. He always stayed late…sometimes he was told to stay for an inning or two and take some pictures of the two teams, but Larry would stay for the whole game.”

Joe said when the baseball season was delayed due to COVID, Larry reached out first asking if the leagues were playing this year. When Joe said they were, Larry came back with, “Great! Send me a schedule.”

Larry also made certain to get photos of all the players, Joe said.

“He made sure he got every player in action, not just sitting there, but pitching, hitting running. It was amazing,” Joe said. “He would send them to the parents after every game.”

Larry also took pictures at the team party, which was modified this year due to COVID, Joe said. But Larry captured all the features of the celebrations, Joe said.

“He was always really nice and willing to talk,” Joe said. “What a great guy. I’m really going to miss him.”

Larry was 78 when he died March 9 from a short illness, not COVID, said his wife, Rose Kane.

Rose said she met Larry in the 1980s in Decatur when they both worked for Sears Roebuck (18 years for Larry) but in different departments. Larry was born in Bloomington and raised in Decatur.

Larry had previously shot photos for the state crime lab when he had lived in Joliet in the 1960s and did the same for the Joliet Police Department after Larry and Rose married and moved to Joliet.

In the 29 years Larry worked for the Joliet Police Department, he worked as an evidence technician and photographer, testified in court cases as a latent fingerprint expert, and stored evidence and fingerprint data, according to Larry’s obituary. Larry also photographed events for the city of Joliet.

But Larry also loved sports and especially photographing sports, so he was busy with his freelance work of shooting local high school and college sports games, especially after retiring from the Joliet Police Department in 2017, Rose said.

“He was such a hard worker and that was OK because we were both independent and did our own thing,” Rose said, adding that she and Larry enjoyed watching programs on British TV and eating out together.

But Larry also liked music and could edit photos on his laptop while watching TV, listening to music and paying attention to the police scanner, Rose said. She remembered the “big deal” of Larry’s switching to digital photography because “we had to make sure we had a fast internet at home,” she said.

In addition to shooting sports, Larry also liked photograph wildlife, such as geese, pheasant and especially deer, Rose said. He would drive out to Goose Lake and a cemetery in Justice to get the best deer shots for his deer-themed Christmas cards, Rose said.

Larry also liked taking pictures of his two grandsons, Brandon, now 21, and Cooper, now 19, Rose said. Larry was rarely seen without one of his signature hats, although Rose isn’t certain where his liking for hats originated.

“Everyone knew that beard and that hat,” Rose said.

Larry was a perfectionist with his work and more than once would say, “I’m not happy with those photos I sent,” Rose said. To which she would reply, “I’m sure they’re fine.”

One thing Larry didn’t have was an ego. Rose said Larry was “a simple, unassuming man” who “never wanted accolades” for any of his work.

“He never wanted to be in the spotlight,” Rose said. “And he didn’t want the credit.”

Dave Laketa, director of athletics for the University of St. Francis in Joliet, agreed. He had met Larry when Dave also shot sports as a freelancer for The Herald-News. And then when Dave went to the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Larry shot sports for USF, too, Dave said.

Larry often sent people old photos of them he had taken, Dave said. Or he might, when sending current photos, slip an older photo into the mix.

“He was just a very down-to-earth individual,” Dave said. “He didn’t need to be in the spotlight…he was always behind the scenes. He just wanted to help people. He wanted to preserve memories for them and their families.”

• To feature someone in “An Extraordinary Life,” contact Denise M. Baran-Unland at 815-280-4122 or dunland@shawmedia.com.