Larry S. Mathis

January 18, 2014

On Sunday, December 15, 2013, Larry S. Mathis passed away in St. Thomas, VI.  Larry was a native of Century; born on January 11, 1949. He attended Century High School where he excelled in sports and set many records for the school.  He was a member of the graduating class of 1967 and he went on to attend and play football for the University of West Alabama in Livingston, AL.  In his class annual, the most written about by his friends was “He had a great smile.” And he did! His smile and laughter was contagious!

After college, Larry returned to Century to work with his dad, Noah Mathis, in the construction business.  Mathis Development was formed and Larry had a knack for learning the construction side of the business.  He was a heavy equipment operator until his dad retired.  He went on to work for several companies as an operator in Tennessee and in Miami, and then in 1995, after Hurricane Marilyn, he took a job working for a company in the Virgin Islands. His current job was with G.E.C. Company operating a 90 ton friction crane based out of the Virgin Islands. The owner had seen his work on another job and wanted to hire him on the spot.  Larry told him once he finished the current job, GEC could hire him. Within a few weeks, he was working for GEC and had mastered the crane.  The company owners said that they had never seen anyone learn so quickly and have such a great work ethic like Larry. He continued working on various islands for GEC during the past 19 years.

While living in St. Thomas, he met and married Mari Hamer on January 9, 1999 in a ceremony overlooking the beautiful scenery of the island. Larry & Mari loved the ocean and the sun: living in the peaceful serene setting in St. Thomas suited them.  His wish to Mari was that he be cremated and ashes spread on the island; a place that he loved and now he called home. Mari will fulfill this wish with friends at a later date.

Larry was a workaholic, loved to garden and work on his boat. He was always busy working on something unless he was watching football.  He was a Crimson Tide fan and wore a ‘Bama hat proudly to work everyday.  As the days go by, he has been and will be forever missed by his family and friends.

Larry was preceded in death by his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Noah Mathis, Sr, and Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Moore. He is survived by his wife, Mari Mathis of St. Thomas; his parents, Noah and Chiquita Mathis of Century; three sisters, Betty Jackson, Judy Dunsford and June Thompson; also Scott Moore, Jimmie Moore and Brandon Mathis and his beloved pet dogs, Braveheart and Gidget.

A memorial service will be held at Hudson’s located at 7241 N. Century Blvd in Century, on Monday, January 27, 2014, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under Obituaries