Larry Richard Baird Sr.

Larry Baird, Sr., of Tallahassee, Florida, age 88, passed away peacefully on November 21, 2023. Larry was born in Braselton, Georgia, on April 29, 1935 to Fred and Vernelle Baird and attended his freshman year of college at University of Georgia on a basketball scholarship at the age of 16. He transferred to Georgia Tech and graduated in 1956 with a degree in Textile Engineering with a minor in Chemistry and was awarded the rank of Second Lieutenant while in Air Force ROTC.

Larry met the love of his life, Nan Slocumb Cherry, on a blind date on July 4, 1956 and they married in Douglas, Georgia on February 16, 1957. He accepted a job with Monsanto upon graduation in 1956 and having spent a year with Monsanto he entered active duty in the U.S. Air Force as a Second Lieutenant in 1957. Larry’s dream was to be a pilot and fly jets, but at 6’5”, his seated height was too tall! He was sent to Tainan, Taiwan with 868th Tactical Missile Squadron Air Force in 1959 and held the rank of captain when he was discharged from the U.S. Air Force in 1960. Larry then returned to work at Monsanto in Pensacola but remained in the Air National Guard for many years. His career as a corporate executive spanned 34 years with Monsanto and kept Larry and Nan busy moving from town to town. After retirement in 1990, Larry and Nan lived in Gulf Breeze, Florida for over 20 years and Larry consulted for Monsanto, Solutia, Naval Air Station, West Florida Hospital, and Gulf Breeze City Commission. In August 2011, they moved to Westminster Oaks Retirement Community in Tallahassee, Florida.

Larry brought his knowledge, enthusiasm, and infectious sense of humor to numerous volunteer roles and hobbies. He was a member of Rotary for over 20 years, having joined in 1988, and served for a year as president of his Pensacola chapter; he became a member in Tallahassee in 2012. He was very active in the Methodist Church for the better part of his life and held practically every position except minister! Larry was active in the Georgia Tech Alumni Club and a member of the Model A Club of America - he had a passion for vintage Fords and rebuilt a 1925 Ford Model T Depot Hack along with 3 Model A’s. As a member of SARS, Larry made dozens of wooden rifles for a reenactment of a battle fought in Pensacola; he also enjoyed being a member of Saints and Sinners Mardi Gras Crew. Larry served on the Resident’s Council at Westminster Oaks and was an ambassador for the “Lunch and Learn” program. He was a membership chair for FLiCRA and he and Nan were members of the Town Club Dinner Dance Group. Larry was an Associate Boy Scout leader for a few years and coached Little League Baseball for 5 years. He was an avid golfer and played weekly at Pensacola Country Club.

Larry was much loved by Nan and his family and will be sorely missed. He is survived by his wife, Nan Cherry Baird, his two children, Larry Baird, Jr. (Stephanie) of St. Louis, Missouri, Cherry Baird Dickinson (Alex) of Laguna Beach, California, his grandchildren Kristin Baird Emerick (Max), Lane Evan Baird (Maddy), Charlotte Morgan Baird, Nolan Richard Baird, Ingrid Ivey Dickinson, Jack Alexander Dickinson, two great grandchildren, Claudia Cherise Emerick, and Tallulah Lane Emerick and many nieces and nephews. Larry was predeceased by his father, his mother, and sisters Frances Allen and Ann McGarity.

A Memorial Service for Larry will be held Thursday, November 30, 2023 from 10:30 AM-11:30 AM at The Maguire Center at Westminster Oaks, at 4449 Meandering Way, Tallahassee, Florida 32308. A Burial with Military Honors will occur Friday, December 1, 2023 from 11:00 AM to 12:00PM (CST) at Barrancas National Cemetery, 1 Cemetery Road, Pensacola, Florida 32508.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Big Bend Hospice, 1723 Mahan Center Boulevard, Tallahassee, Florida, 32308-5408 or a charity of your choice.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.CulleysMeadowWood.com for the Baird family.