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NILES -  Larry Gene Miklas, 60, of  Niles, passed away at 4:35 pm  on Sunday,  July 4, 2010,  at his home following a brief illness.

He was born June 9, 1950 in Youngstown the son of Stephen and Ruth Jean (Evans) Miklas.  A 1968  graduate of Chaney High School, he was a member of St. John Lutheran Church congregation in Youngstown.

Larry’s first job was at Idora Park Amusement park’s Kiddie Land, where he operated children’s rides. As a child he took accordion lessons and then started playing a keyboard in a rock and roll band called “Group Therapy”, playing hired shows at Youngstown State University and Geneva on the Lake. While his real passion lay in sports broadcasting (to come later), he started working at Youngstown Steel Door Company, and  later  at  U.S. Steel Corporation’s  Ohio Works steel mill. It was here where Larry worked as a third generation steel worker in the “open hearth” department as a third helper (slagger) and second helper. The work entailed  much physical exertion as well as an element of danger. His father and uncle and other extended family members also worked here.

After finishing the program at the Sharon Broadcasting school in Sharon, PA he started working at WPIC radio station in Sharon, PA, as a radio music disc jockey part time while working at the steel mill. He later worked at WGRG in Greenville, PA, as a DJ, and then as a color commentary man for high school sports for Clear Channel Communications.

Occasionally when laid off from the steel mill, Larry did landscaping and sheetrock installation construction and renovation work.  In the early 1980’s, he started working at TCI telecommunications and he currently worked for over 25 years as lineman for Time Warner Cable. 

After 10 years of employment, the Ohio Works steel mill closed,  and Larry pursued a radio career fulltime first doing station identifications and commercials at WTCL in Warren, OH. At another station WRRO he worked as a disc jockey under the DJ name Larry Summers and even doing sports talk shows. WBBW station in Youngstown then hired Larry part-time to do play by play for high school games on the radio, then he worked for WANR, where he broadcasted  a season of basketball and football games.  He even broadcasted  local high school games on television occasionally.

WHK Radio hired Larry to broadcast a Cleveland arena football team, The Cleveland Thunderbolts, for a season, where he traveled around the United States. Working part-time at WRTK, WBBW, and WASN radio stations, Larry has called over a thousand  football and basketball games in the Youngstown area for over 20 years.

Larry was an avid and accomplished golfer for over 25 years.

He is survived by his daughter  Nicole Renee (Thomas) Snavely of  McChord AFB, WA; two grandsons Corey Thomas Snavely and Dylan Joseph Snavely, of McChord AFB, WA; mother, Ruth Jean (Joseph) Pavlansky of Austintown; brother, George Wallace (Jodi Lynn) Miklas of Grove City, PA; two sisters-in-law, Margie Miklas of Port St. Lucie, FL, Mary Ann Miklas of Boardman.

He was preceded in death by his wife Pamela Joanne Cassidy whom he married on March 23, 1974 and who passed away on September 19, 1995; his father; two brothers, Stephen “Butch” Alan Miklas on June 8, 2008, Donald Raymond Miklas on December 26, 1988.

Calling Hours will be Wednesday, July 7, 2010 from 6 to 8 pm at the Holeton-Yuhasz Funeral Home.  The Funeral will be Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 11:00 am at the funeral home.  Burial will be at St. Stephen Cemetery.

The family requests in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to St. Jude Childrens research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.