Lawrence B. Nicolais

Lawrence Benedetto Nicolais Larry Nicolais of Niantic, CT and Elkins Park, PA passed away on January 21, 2026 with his loving family by his side. Larry was born in White Plains, New York. He is survived by his loving wife of 40 years, Debbie; son, Ferris; daughter, Anna; brother, Stephen Nicolais; and sister, Maria Vailonis. He was predeceased by his bothers, Norman and John; and parents, Bernard and Laura. Larry grew up in Mamaroneck, New York. He attended Holy Trinity Elementary School and Arch Bishop Stepinac High School where he competed as a long-distance runner. He went on to attend the Rochester Institute of Technology where he met the love of his life, Debbie, whom he married in 1985. Larry was a highly successful Packaging Engineer. He was awarded multiple patents in packaging that are still in use today. He was able to visualize a 2D picture or drawing in 3D space, allowing him to piece together any packaging puzzle. If you needed to fit a bunch of things into a box, Larry was your guy! His career took him across the country from Connecticut to Georgia to Philadelphia, to the southern tier of New York, and back to Connecticut. Since family was his number one priority, he took on some crazy long commutes just to keep his family comfortable in the same house and school districts. Larry was always ready to help anyone and was known to be able to fix anything! A jack of all trades and a master of some, he’d figure out how to fix TVs, electronics, plumbing, cars, and so much more. Whether it was a home DIY project or taking apart a Volkswagen engine, he was always looking for something fun to experiment with. Even if that experiment was making plasma in the microwave and breaking a vase in the process! He went through life with curiosity, trying to learn everything he could about anything and share that knowledge with anyone who would listen. The only thing he loved more than fixing cars was talking about fixing them! He loved to talk and would stay up late with his kids discussing his next project. There was never a dull moment in the Nicolais household! He had an uncanny ability to name the year, make, and model of a car just by looking at its taillight. He loved driving and would rather go on a road trip than a vacation. He’d take his family up and down the coast along the scenic route in the mini-van to save a couple bucks. He was one to enjoy the journey. When he wasn’t fixing cars, he was learning about Italian culture, researching a home DIY project, or learning a new bread recipe. He was a gardener and canner: a lover of wild grapes and a maker of grape jelly. He was always thinking about what to grow in the spring. One of the most quintessential “Larry recipes” was his Italian Easter bread with hard boiled eggs that marked the beginning of spring. He was also known to make the best English muffins New England’s ever eaten! Above all, Larry was a great husband and father. Nothing was more important to him than family. He cherished his wife and children, and they knew it every day. Even the cats, Truffle, Max, and MooMoo, knew just how much he loved them. A Catholic Funeral Mass will take place at St. Thomas the Apostle Church on Farmington Avenue in West Hartford, Connecticut on Friday, January 30, 2026 at 10 AM. Attendants are invited to gather at the Molloy Funeral Home in West Hartford, Connecticut at 8:30 - 9:30 AM before proceeding to the church. Burial will take place at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford immediately following the mass. Online expressions of sympathy can be shared at www.molloyfuneralhome.com.