Dr. Larry D. Birch

NORFOLK – Celebration of life service for Dr. Larry D. Birch, 74, of Pierce, Nebraska will be held at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, May 28, 2026 at the First Presbyterian Church in Norfolk. Pastor Brian Johnson will be officiating the service. The service will be live-streamed on the Stonacek Funeral Chapel Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/stonacekfuneralchapel/. Inurnment will be held at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, May 28, at the Lambrecht Cemetery, rural Pierce. Visitation will be 5:00-7:00 p.m., Wednesday, also at the First Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the family to be intended for the First Presbyterian Church/Daycare to help defray the costs of childcare for families in need, the Nature Conservancy of Nebraska, and the Pierce Senior Center. Military rites will be conducted at the cemetery by the Tomek-Otto Post 72 American Legion of Pierce and the United States Army Honors Guard. Stonacek Memorial Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. Larry D. Birch MD, passed away peacefully on May 13, 2026 at Methodist Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska in the presence of his oldest son, Nate and his wife, Mary. He was born on September 22, 1951 in Lincoln Nebraska. A determined, independent man Larry battled Parkinson’s disease for fifteen years. Larry reveled in his life as a physician. He graduated from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine in 1978. His residency in internal Medicine was completed at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1981. Larry’s work was his passion. He loved the challenges and the problem solving involved. He was a gifted student and doctor with a prodigious memory. Larry was a scientist at heart with an insatiable curiosity about many things including - early childhood education, environmental science, scientific c research, cutting edge construction methods and economics. His legacy lives on in the many lives “Dr. Birch” touched via a busy medical practice. Larry served his country in the US Army as a military physician, treating all manner of illnesses and injuries and teaching Army medics. He was sought after for his abilities at managing triage. While in the army he also served at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. In 1985 upon leaving the Army the Birch family moved to Pierce, Nebraska. Larry took over the practice of retiring physician, Dr. John Calvert. Later he opened a private practice, Norfolk Internal Medicine in Norfolk, Ne where he practiced until being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in February of 2011. He continued to work in local clinics and for the State of Nebraska doing disability physicals until 2021. Larry was captivated by the life of his great-grandfather, Frank Birch, a Civil War orphan and pioneer homesteader in Pierce County. It seems they shared a similar tough resolve, dogged tenacity, ambition and the risk taking needed to face the hard challenges of life. From his great grandparents - Frank and Jane Birch and his grandparents Homer and Georgia Birch- Larry knew of or witnessed large and small acts of generosity and caring for people in need. Concern for those in need and generosity became cornerstones in his life. Larry’s interests beyond his work life included a love of aviation. Flying in fact was his first ambition. In 1969 upon graduating from Lincoln High School in Lincoln, Nebraska, Larry had planned to enlist in the U.S. Army and be trained to fly helicopters in Vietnam. One of Larry’s claims to fame was that he obtained both his driver’s license and pilot’s license upon turning sixteen. He had to work hard and pinch pennies -sacking groceries and delivering newspapers - to pay for those flight lessons. Larry also loved history, especially military history and reading biographies. He and Mary read many books together outloud. They were married at First Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln, Nebraska in the courtyard on June 30, 1973 after a courtship centered around dates on bicycles. Larry is survived by his wife of 52 years, Mary Ellen (Lewandowski) Birch. His children Nathan Birch of Omaha, Aaron Birch of Colorado Springs, CO and Libby Lewandowski of Friend, NE Grandchildren Paige Birch, Claire Birch, Brooke Dewar -Birch, Sophia Birch, Natalie Nutzman, Izaak Nutzman and Wyatt Pearson. Sisters Sonney (Bob) Hickman, Jean (Bob) Mahlquist, Georgia Birch, step brother Garvin Meahan (June) of Coronado, California and nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father Robert P. Birch and his mother, Norma Troudt. Honorary casket bearers will be his grandchildren: Paige Birch, Claire Birch, Brooke Dewar-Birch, Sophia Birch, Natalie Nutzman, Izaak Nutzman and Wyatt Pearson Condolences may be expressed to the family on-line at www.stonacekfuneralchapel.com.

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Dr. Larry D. Birch

September 22, 1951 - May 13, 2026