Laurance A. Knecht died Saturday at his villa in Carolina Meadows. He was 77.

Born and raised in Elgin, Ill., Larry attended the University of Illinois and received a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Minnesota. He served in the Air Force in 1960, stationed in Japan, where he developed a lifelong interest in Japanese art, culture, and language.

He was an active member of the American Chemical Society and a professor of chemistry at Iowa State University, the University of Cincinnati (where we met his wife Doris)and Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio.

In 1982 he came to Chapel Hill as a visiting professor at UNC, but decided to stay so Doris could complete her degree in computer science and work in the Research Triangle Park. He joined the faculty at the North Carolina School of Science and Math, where he enjoyed the friendship of many wonderful colleagues and students.

In addition to his love of teaching and chemistry, he was an avid fan of classical music, attending many concerts of the North Carolina Symphony, Carolina Performing Arts concerts, Duke Chapel organ recitals, and other events. Even before moving to Carolina Meadows in the summer of 2008, he was an active member of that community, volunteering to organize reading groups for sight-impaired residents. Generous, friendly, and always ready with a joke, he will be greatly missed.

Survivors include his daughter and son-in-law, Anne Knecht and Michael Albrecht, of Carrboro; brothers, David Knecht, of Bedford, Mass., and Thomas Knecht, of Clarkesville, Ga.; and numerous nephews and nieces.

He was predeceased by his wife of 40 years, Doris Knecht.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

In lieu of flowers, given Larry's love of classical music, contributions can be made to WCPE public radio, the Carolina Performing Arts, or the North Carolina Symphony.