Larry Pendergrass

1939 - 2023

PENDERGRASS, Larry Lee

Larry Lee Pendergrass, age 83, passed away peacefully in his sleep early in the morning of Sunday, May 14, 2023, at his home near Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to being a devoted family man and church member, Larry was a respected career Army officer, an exacting teacher, a remarkably successful coach, and an internationally revered officiator for Olympic-style air rifle tournaments.

The son of Leonard and Bernetta Pendergrass of Mt. Vernon, Missouri, Larry was born on June 29, 1939. He lettered in football and track at Mt. Vernon High School, played trumpet in the school band, excelled in math when he tried, boxed in regional Golden Gloves tournaments and occasionally drove various fast cars on country roads.

Larry went on to attend Southwest Missouri State College (today's Missouri State University). There, he enrolled in the ROTC program for four years, which he found more interesting than his other subjects, except math. At SMS, he met fellow student Patricia (Pat) Critchfield, and they married on March 4, 1961 in St. Louis.

Upon graduation with a Bachelors degree in mathematics, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant Artillery on August 1, 1961. His military career took him around the world, including a tour of Vietnam in 1967-68, where he served as a commander and staff officer. In addition to various U.S. posts, he was also stationed in Germany, Okinawa and Korea, while he and Pat raised a son and two daughters. He also completed a Masters degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Utah.

After 20 years of service, he retired from Active Duty as a Major on October 1, 1982. He earned multiple awards, including two Bronze Stars, two Meritorious Service Medals, four Army Commendation Medals, a National Defense Service Medal, and a Vietnam Service Medal with a silver star (5 campaigns).

Making Atlanta the permanent home for his family, Larry then led JROTC programs in Fulton County high schools. At Creekside High School, he coached the Olympic-style air rifle team to a record five consecutive Georgia State High School Championships. He was named the sport's Coach of the Year for Georgia eight times.

After retiring from teaching and coaching in 2002, Larry served for a decade as both Georgia High School Association's Riffle Coordinator and State Championship Match Director. During that time, air rifle expanded rapidly across the state, and Georgia became widely known as the sport's top state nationally.

After being invited to be part of the shooting staff for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Larry rose to become a highly respected officiator at both the national and international levels. He served as Chief Range Officer for the NCAA Championships from 2011 through 2019. He officiated trials and finals for multiple World Cups, as well at the Olympics in Atlanta, Rio de Janeiro and Beijing.

Larry also served as an ordained deacon and dedicated choir member at Heritage Hills Baptist Church for nearly five decades, including a long tenure chairing the board of deacons. He was always an engaging "greeter," even on days when it wasn't his assigned role. He refused to let anyone to leave the church feeling anything less than fully welcomed, and he was always ready to share a fun story or a corny joke.

Larry is survived by Pat, his wife of 62 years, and three children: son Paul and his wife Margaret; daughter Pam (Pendergrass) Kunz and her husband Donald Kunz and son Nathan; and daughter Paige (Pendergrass) Hill and her husband Richard Hill, Jr, daughter Taylor Anne Hill and son Richard Hill, III.

Visitation will be held Thursday, May 18 from 5:00-7:00 PM at Scot Ward Funeral Home, 699 American Legion Rd., Conyers GA 30012. The funeral service will be held Friday, May 19, at 11:00 AM at Heritage Hills Baptist Church, 2987 Hwy. 212, Conyers GA 30094, with visitation preceding at 10 AM.

Condolences may be submitted online at scotward.com