Larry James Pepper

Visitation will be Tuesday, November 23, 2021 at 9:30 am at Morrison Heights Baptist Church in Clinton, MS, with the service following at 11:00 am. Burial to follow at Lakewood Memorial Cemetery.

Larry was born in New Britain, Connecticut to Ralph and Grace Pepper. He was an infant when his family returned to Mississippi and grew up in the Delta. He graduated from Woodland High School and Wood Jr. College in Engineering. He began working for the Mississippi Department of Transportation in 1964 in Asphalt Design and remained there for the next 41 years until he retired. He was known as ‘the asphalt man’ because he would calculate by hand instead of using a computer. As a friend stated recently, “Larry is in heaven learning about gold brick pavers instead of asphalt.”

Larry was a faithful servant of the Lord. He was always there to serve in whatever way he could whether it was mowing the grass, chaperoning youth trips, or leading the singing. He was a faithful member of Morrison Heights Baptist Church where he served for many years preparing the Lord’s supper for services.

Larry was married to his beloved wife, Myra Tumlin Pepper, for 57 years. They met at Wood Jr. College and got together because he didn’t have the money to buy a corsage for a date to go to the dance. Myra informed him that he didn’t have to buy a corsage and Larry immediately asked her to go with him to the dance. Throughout their many years together, Larry never missed an opportunity to buy Myra roses every chance he got after that.

Larry enjoyed hunting, fishing, and watching any and every kind of sport especially watching his grandson, Jonathan, bowl; granddaughter, Chloe, ballet dance; and grandson, Colin, swim. Larry’s daughters always joked that he had to watch other children play ball because neither of his children were athletically inclined. Oh, how he loved his grandchildren.

Larry was a great father and a godly role model. He loved his Lord and wanted his girls, Beth and Dana, to know and live for Christ. Both were vocally talented, and he thoroughly enjoyed listening to them sing in Attache’ show choir and praising the Lord in song. He was quick to claim that they got their musical talent from him.

He is survived by his wife, Myra; his daughters, Beth Haygood (Ron) of Liberty, MS, and Dana Acosta (Ron) of Chicago, IL; brother, Bruce Pepper (Lana) of Houston, MS; sister-in-law, Mary Emma Lansing of Magnolia, MS; brother-in-law, Mark Tumlin (Brenda) of Mechanicsville, VA; grandchildren, Jonathan Haygood, Chloe and Colin Acosta; and many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made in his name to Magnolia Speech School at 733 Flag Chapel Road, Jackson, MS 39209 or Liberty Baptist Church Youth at P O Box 73, Liberty, MS 39645.