Larry Clifford Kirkland

Larry Clifford Kirkland, 69, died with his family by his side Monday after a lengthy illness. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and uncle, a sweet, considerate and gentle man whose absence leaves this world with a little less kindness in it. A longtime member of Greenwood Baptist Church, he was a faithful follower of Jesus Christ; he trusted in the Lord, and we trust that he is now at rest with the Lord.
A lifelong resident of Valdosta, he worked in the heating and air conditioning business for five decades, retiring from Valdosta Mechanical Company, Inc. in 2017. In South Georgia, that line of work keeps one awfully busy, and there was a time when he might have been the fastest duct man in town; he certainly was one of the best and considered any project he was presented with worth doing well, much to the dismay of anyone hoping to loaf on a job he was running. Larry was a man of deeds more than words, but those who took the time to learn from his example were better for it.
He was proof that it doesn’t always require grand gestures to improve others’ lives; more than once, he brought happiness to those in need or want with the simple gift of a sack of greens he picked or a mess of fish he caught. His children and grandsons benefited from his patience in their youth, whether it was through him indulging his daughter playfully styling his hair, his son endlessly browsing at comic book shops and baseball card shows, or his first grandson’s desire to stop on road trips at every opportunity in pursuit of Hot Wheels.
Simple pleasures meant a lot to Larry, who enjoyed grilled steak, fried chicken livers, boiled peanuts and ice cream cones, naps in the recliner, muscle cars, Steve McQueen movies, “The Rifleman,” “Bonanza” — he considered the episode with Hoss and the leprechauns the height of entertainment — and trips to St. Marys. He loved music, especially oldies, country and gospel, but only in his final years did he truly sing out; dementia sometimes lowered his inhibitions in unpleasant ways, but it also helped him overcome his shyness to let his voice be heard as he belted out “The Gambler,” and his family thought that was great. He was loved by cats, including those that were indifferent or downright mean to almost everyone else. The prevailing theory was that they enjoyed being petted by his rough and calloused working-man hands, but maybe they sensed the good nature of his spirit, too.
And he made others laugh — sometimes even intentionally. He struggled with setups and punchlines but had his share of one-liners. He liked to joke that as a kid, he was so poor he would run five miles across the cow pasture just to smell the bread truck go by, and that when boredom struck he would go down to Piggly Wiggly or Winn-Dixie “to watch them unload produce.” In truth, the son of the late Norman and Evelyn Kirkland enjoyed a childhood of riding bikes, picking blackberries to sell for record money, tricking his brothers into helping him mow grass, and being the favorite of the family dogs.
No one will miss him more than his sweetheart Debra, his wife of 48 years this month who was always glad the quiet boy with the sweet smile and the nice legs asked her to marry him.
Other survivors include his daughter and son-in-law Iris and Daniel Johnson and grandson Blaine; son and daughter-in-law Marty and Rachel Kirkland and grandsons Drew and Thompson; brothers Ben, Paul (Donna), Ronald (Gladys), Donald, Alan (Vickie); sister Kay (Jerry) Smith; sister-in-law Dot (Jimmy) McGee; brother-in-law Malcolm Cason; and several nieces and nephews.
Special thanks to Hospice of South Georgia and Langdale Hospice House for their care in Larry’s final days.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, July 10, 2020 at Greenwood Baptist (1645 E. Park Ave.), with viewing and visitation following the service. Condolences to the family may be conveyed online at www.mclanecares.com. Carson McLane Funeral Home.