Friends of local radio personality Larry Updike, who died of cancer last week, have banded together to raise funds for his son to receive a lifetime of quality care.
Updike died June 20 at age 69 following a diagnosis of leukemia and a brief battle with colon cancer.
On social media, a week before his death, Updike announced his health status and told friends of his concern for his wife of 33 years, Mary-Ann, and their 32-year-old son, Gordon.
GOFUNDME
A fundraiser aims to help Gordon Updike, autistic son of late radio personality Larry Updike.
“I am far more concerned about her and Gordon than anything else,” wrote Updike on June 13. “If you consider me your friend, please remember that.”
Gordon is autistic and non-verbal, with a developmental level of a pre-schooler.
He will require specialized care once Mary-Ann is no longer able to care for him, said longtime friend Tom McGouran, who is a Now Country 104.7 morning radio host .
McGouran, along with other local radio personalities and friends of Updike, have launched a GoFundMe campaign to help supplement the couple’s savings, to ensure Gordon gets the best quality care for the rest of his life.
“A bunch of us radio guys got exchanging messages and talking, and we all agreed that we should do something, and maybe the easiest way will be to put up this GoFundMe page and reach out to all our listeners at all the stations,” said McGouran.
Updike and McGouran worked co-hosted the Tom and Larry Show for more than a decade, bouncing around to different stations as a team.
McGouran said Updike and Mary-Ann had saved what they could for Gordon’s eventual care.
“He needs 24/7 care and that will require, I would imagine, you want private care or something along the lines of a care home that is specialized in his area,” said McGouran.
“You’re going to pay like you would pay for a senior’s home and that’s expensive… $3,000 a month for his lifetime.”
McGouran said the money will be banked until its needed “so he lives comfortably, so he doesn’t end up in an uncomfortable institution.”
“His life has been wonderful with Mary-Ann and Larry. Myself and the others want to see that continue and to give Mary-Ann some peace of mind, that she doesn’t have to worry about that for the next 10, 20 years.”
McGouran said it was important to him to help Mary-Ann and Gordon, calling them special people and close friends.
“They’re loved ones, and I think anyone would do it for their loved ones in the same situation,” he said.
Updike was born in Ontario and raised in a religious and musical household. He began working in radio to supplement his income as an ordained minister.
He moved to Winnipeg for work, where he met McGouran in 1982 and the two began hosting together.
Updike went on to host CJOB’s morning show and CBC Radio’s afternoon drive show.
His funeral is scheduled for July 3 at Grant Memorial Church.
The GoFundMe campaign has a goal of $50,000, but McGouran said the hope is to raise as much money as possible. It had raised just under $5,000 as of Thursday afternoon.
erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca
Erik Pindera
Reporter
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
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