Millard Lawrence "Larry" Thigpen's Obituary
Millard Lawrence “Larry” Thigpen, age 79, of Alachua, Florida, died on June 6, 2019, of complications from multiple myeloma. Larry, born May 17, 1940, in Gainesville, Florida, moved to Alachua with his now deceased parents, Joe and Doris Thigpen, when he was a year old. Larry and his family lived on Main Street in Alachua for decades, just a block away from the pharmacy that his father operated from 1940 until his death in 1970. Larry graduated from Santa Fe High School in 1958, where he served as senior class president and captain of the football team. During his senior year, he spent a semester in Washington D.C. as a page in the United States House of Representatives for Rep. D. R. “Billy” Matthews. He attended Florida Southern and was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha and president his senior year, continuing his pattern of leadership. After graduating from Florida Southern in 1962, he returned to his hometown and spent the next sixteen years at Copeland Sausage Company, working in several capacities, including computer programming and livestock buying, until the local company closed in 1978. He spent the remainder of his career as a systems analyst at Farm Bureau, retiring in 2010 after thirty-two years.
In 1964, he married Glenda Dukes of Lake Butler, Florida, and they
continued to make Alachua their home and raised their daughters, Susan and Lisa Thigpen, both now residents of Orlando, Florida, in the community.
Larry was an active, faithful member of First United Methodist Church of
Alachua for over seventy years, having been confirmed in the church as a youth. He sang in the choir, taught Sunday School, served as a lay leader, and contributed to the life of the church by serving on numerous committees. He embodied servant leadership and lived the Golden Rule unfailingly.
In addition to his wife, Glenda and daughters, Susan and Lisa, Larry is
survived by his brothers, Joe Thigpen (Becky) and Wayne Thigpen
(Peggy), both of Alachua. His large close-knit extended family includes a host of brothers-in-law, sisters-in laws, nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, and cousins. His family will deeply miss his playful spirit and loving presence in their lives. He served as a role model for everyone in his family, his community, and his workplace. Larry was a kind, cheerful, and generous man, fully living by the Eagle Scout laws engrained in him during his adolescence. Larry considered the beach his “happy” place and spent time throughout the years vacationing with his family at Crescent Beach. These beach weeks provided legendary fishing and “green boat” stories and sealed his role as the master family storyteller. He also traveled extensively with his family throughout the United States, leaving only ten states on his bucket list that he had not visited. National Parks, especially Yellowstone, and the West were favorite travel destinations for hiking and skiing. As an avid sports fan, Larry not only supported the Gator football, basketball, and baseball teams in Gainesville, but he and his family attended football games throughout the Southeast and enjoyed National Championship games and Final Four games throughout the country. These trips generated numerous stories and memories that he shared with family and friends, always adding a humorous twist. Larry not only loved watching sports in person and on television, but he also loved playing golf with his brother Joe and friends and walking miles each day in his Turkey Creek Neighborhood. Larry considered himself a lucky man who lived a wonderful life. He loved and valued his family and left this life with their well-being as his primary concern.
A celebration of his life will be held Monday, June 10, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. at First United Methodist Church of Alachua, 14805 NW 140th Street, Alachua, Florida. In lieu of flowers and true to his concern for the well-being of children, Larry requested that donations be made to the Florida Methodist Children’s Home. Gifts should be sent in care of First United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 668, Alachua, Florida 32616.
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