Larry Kent McLaughlin (86) of Shelbyville, TN passed away June 21, 2024 peacefully at home surrounded by family after a short illness. He was born in Little Otter, WV on October 2, 1938. He was the son of the late Carl B. (Doc) and Gladys McLaughlin. He graduated from Gassaway High School in 1957.

Larry retired in 2015 from Vecellio & Grogan, Inc. He spent his life in the construction industry building roads and bridges that span some of the highly traveled highway systems in the United States. Larry began his career in construction as an inspector in 1961 for the WV Dept. of Transportation, division of Highways. He quickly moved to a superintendent over highway and bridge projects for the WVDOT.

In 1969 Larry accepted a position at S.J. Groves and Sons where he would become the General Manager of Construction. While at S.J. Groves, some of Larry’s notable accomplishments included projects on I-79 in Sutton, WV, US 460 in Bluefield, WV and he was responsible for a 10,000 LF taxiway for the Raleigh-Durham Airport in Raleigh, NC.

In 1987, Larry made a shift to the Danis Southeast Highways Division where he worked on several highway and site projects in Florida. Larry served as the Vice President and Area Manager. His notable projects were for the FL Dept. of Transportation located on US 19 near Clearwater, FL. He also oversaw the completion of the Disney Corporation offices and the Dolphin and Swan Hotel in Orlando, FL.

From 1992 until his retirement, Larry served as the Vice President of Construction for Vecellio & Grogan, Inc. Larry was responsible for countless projects in his capacity at V & G. He was instrumental in overseeing the construction of over $100 million of work for the Piedmont Triad International Airport Authority. He also managed the construction of a new multi-lane highway with five bridges in Chesterfield County, VA on Route 288. There were numerous bridges and sites that Larry oversaw during his tenure at V & G, but the one he seemed most proud of was the project at Powell Mountain near Summersville, WV. Larry would often reminisce about the job and its challenges with moving massive amounts of earth and keeping the black bears away. He was proud of a job well done and on time.

Larry continued his career with V & G until his retirement. Even then, he continued in a consulting capacity for many years, taking the helicopter to various job locations from WV, VA, NC, and IL. In 2015 Larry formally retired. Most people that worked with Larry kept his number on speed dial, because he was always willing to talk and help others with their challenges.

Larry was always a well-respected member of the construction industry. His leadership ability attracted talent because he was able to guide with liberty those being led. Most would say that Larry could convince you his way was right and have you believing it was your idea. His knowledge and experience were invaluable to those he mentored. When Larry retired, he and his wife Margaret moved permanently to Shelbyville, TN where he was very active in the TN Walking Horse Association and continued to show his horses until 2023.

Larry will be missed by his wife of 50 years, Margaret Corley McLaughlin. He is survived by his daughters Elizabeth (Ronald) Eason of Titusville, FL and Marian (Scott) Kuhn of Palm Bay, FL, seven grandchildren and seven great- grandchildren. Also surviving are his siblings Frank McLaughlin, Valgene McLaughlin, Charlene Perkey and Darlene Maxwell, and several nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his Aunt Jenny Hardway. In addition to his parents he was pre-deceased by his son Michael Kent McLaughlin.

Visitation will be held June 27, 2024 from 11:00-1:00pm at Richard Roach Funeral Home in Gassaway, WV, followed by his funeral at 1:00pm. He will be buried in Sugar Creek Cemetery, Gassaway, WV immediately after the service. 

A memorial service will be held at Feldhaus Memorial Chapel in Shelbyville, TN on July 1st with visitation at 5:00pm and service at 6:00pm.

The family would like to extend a special thanks to Mason Douglas, ARNP-C and Compassus Hospice Care.

Feldhaus Memorial Chapel is assisting the family with the arrangements.