Family and friends are mourning the loss of Larry “Lee” Staley who passed away in Aberdeen, Washington on Sept. 21, 2024, at age 85.

Born in Boise, Idaho, Lee spent his school days in Lincoln, California before moving to Southern California to start his career in the music industry. He later relocated to San Francisco where he met his future husband, Rick Haunreiter in 1981. In 1998, after extensively traveling the world, they married in Grays Harbor County’s first male gay wedding in 2013.

Lee was a distinguished artist who inspired other artists with his work at the Six Rivers Art Center and was instrumental in choosing and curating a revolving exhibition for Grays Harbor Community Hospital. In addition to several one-man art exhibits in the Aberdeen area, including the wildly popular exhibit “Probably Not,” Lee developed new art forms combining photography and painting.

Lee eventually opened his own shop, The Silver Pony, in Hoquiam transitioning into a corroboration with Barbara Bennett Parsons selling Elton Bennett Prints along with Lee’s artwork. The store closed in 2022.

Lee is survived by his husband, Rick Haunreiter.