Obituaries : * Larry Downing; Retired Store Owner

Larry Downing, retired owner of Downing Appliances in Van Nuys, has died at his Van Nuys home. He was 73.

Downing died Saturday from complications from a recent fall, said his daughter, Karen Downing of Van Nuys.

Born in Vinton County, Iowa, he came to California as a teen-ager. During the 1940s, he worked as a supervisor at the Lockheed Corp. In the late 1940s, he opened Downing Appliances in North Hollywood, then moved it to Van Nuys a year later. He owned and operated the appliance store in Van Nuys until his retirement in 1983.

Downing was a past president and lifetime member of the Optimist Club of Van Nuys.

In addition to his daughter Karen, he is survived by another daughter, Barbara Wright of Burbank; five brothers; four sisters; grandsons Darren Wright of Burbank and Derek Wright of Longview, Wash., and two great-grandchildren. His wife, Shirley, died in 1982.

Visitation is planned from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday at San Fernando Mortuary, 1110 N. Maclay Ave., San Fernando, which is handling the arrangements. A funeral, with burial to follow, is scheduled at 11 a.m. Friday at Church of the Hills at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Hollywood Hills.