Laurence “Larry” Aaronson’s children used to joke that he must be in the Mafia.

The Community College of Baltimore County professor and local advocate worked odd hours, and none of their friends really understood what his job was. Plus, he seemed to know everyone. You need a haircut? A new tire? A jacket? He’s got a guy for that.

“He was a connector, and so he knew everybody,” his daughter Debbie Ellinghaus said. “Building those connections was so important to him. It was his lifeline.”

So maybe it wasn’t the Mafia, but Aaronson definitely had a network in Howard and Baltimore counties. Some he’d bonded with over politics or education; others, football and his grandchildren.

Now, many of them are grieving his absence.

Aaronson, a longtime Columbia resident who taught business at CCBC for 25 years, died March 9 of complications from dementia. He was 84.

He was born in Philadelphia on Sept. 8, 1941, the younger of Anne and Harold Aaronson’s two sons. The couple were first-generation Americans and taught their sons to value education and hold a strong Jewish faith, Ellinghaus said. The family moved to Pottsville, Pennsylvania, when Larry was 5 and returned to Philadelphia when he was a freshman in high school.

Aaronson played basketball and baseball throughout his academic career, but football was his true love. He was a standout offensive guard in high school.

Several colleges recruited him, but in the end, he chose Temple University, where he studied business. Even after he moved to Maryland, he never lost his affinity for Philadelphia — especially its sports teams. On family trips to the city, he’d jokingly say, “Ah, I can breathe now,” once they crossed the Pennsylvania border.

Aaronson left his home state to study law at American University in D.C. He took a break from school after his grandfather was mugged and seriously injured. When Aaronson returned, it was tough to catch up, so he switched to an MBA program.

But something wonderful also happened at American — he met his wife, Connie, then an undergraduate. The two chatted at a party but fell out of touch. Some time later, a mutual friend was getting married, and Aaronson heard Connie was dating someone else. He called her and asked if she’d go to the wedding with him anyway.

She did, and they were engaged a month later. He proposed to her after a Memorial Day weekend trip.

They wed in 1970. Aaronson started working for the Small Business Administration but decided to again pursue a law degree, this time from the University of Baltimore. He commuted from Montgomery County before moving to Columbia.

The couple had two daughters, Debbie and Abby. While Connie was more of the disciplinarian, her husband was more lenient. Aaronson, who started teaching night classes at CCBC when the girls were young, spent the most time at home; Connie was a schoolteacher and left early for class.

It was an unusual arrangement then, but it gave Aaronson time to make his kids breakfast and coach their sports teams. Ellinghaus cherishes those memories.

Larry and Connie rarely fought and were deeply in love with each other, their daughter said. When they did fight, they stressed to their children that making up was the most important part.

As the years went on, Aaronson became heavily involved in community affairs, both where he lived in Columbia and in Catonsville, where he worked. Though proud of his law degree, he felt he could make a bigger difference teaching and helping people, his daughter said.

He joined the Howard County Ethics Committee, the Catonsville Chamber of Commerce and the Catonsville Rotary Club. He owned small businesses, including a consulting company and a real estate firm. He was active in local politics, never binding himself to one party.

He was a firm believer that “you had to get involved, and you had to make yourself known,” Ellinghaus said. “Sitting around and complaining about how things were being done was a waste of time.”

Aaronson was also a founding member of the Howard County Police Citizens Advisory Council in 1992. Another member was Jay Zumbrun, then a police lieutenant, who immediately pegged Aaronson as a “straight-shooter” who asked exploratory questions and favored common-sense solutions.

“He was soft-spoken but at the same time, got his point across,” Zumbrun said. “I never heard him raise his voice, but you could tell he was passionate about his thoughts and his input and his insights.”

People listened when Aaronson spoke, said former Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman. They respected his commitment to the cause.

“He wasn’t in it for himself by any means,” Kittleman said. “He’s always there just to do what’s best for our community.”

When former Howard County Executive Ken Ulman first ran for office, Aaronson was among his earliest supporters — and even changed his party affiliation from independent to Democrat to vote for him (though he later supported Kittleman, a Republican). He’d known Ulman for years as a friend of his daughter and a fellow congregant at Temple Isaiah.

Aaronson immediately offered to connect the politician with former students and community leaders.

“He just loved putting people together in a room,” Ulman said. There were few things “as rewarding to him as introducing people to one another.”

But his biggest joy was family. Aaronson’s wife and children adored his self-deprecating jokes, random history facts and preference for Mel Brooks movies. In later years, he loved being “Poppy” to five grandchildren; one grandson joked at his funeral that Aaronson was actually the sixth grandchild, because “he always wanted to sit at the kids’ table.”

“I think he left a legacy of family and being together,” Ellinghaus said. “A legacy of being a good person and doing the right thing.”

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