Lawrence Nelson Succop

Lawrence (Larry) N. Succop II, beloved husband, father, and grandfather and U.S. Navy Veteran died November 14th.



Larry was born in 1944 in Butler, Pennsylvania to William C. and Gladys Marie Succop. He was the fourth of eleven children and the oldest son. He spent his childhood growing up on the family farm in Butler, Pennsylvania.



He attended Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh until he graduated in 1962. He then went on to attend Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania where he studied to be an engineer. Always a runner, he lettered in Track and Field and Cross Country while at Lehigh, becoming captain of the Cross Country team his senior year. He graduated in 1966 with degrees in Applied Science and Mechanical Engineering and went on to acquire a master's degree in Metallurgy and Materials Science in 1969. He was a member of the Chi Psi fraternity.



Larry met his bride to be, Mary Pearson, while at Lehigh and they were married in 1969. Soon after, he joined the United States Navy and enrolled in Officer Candidate School. While serving in the Navy, he was stationed in San Diego and San Francisco, California. He deployed to Vietnam where he served as a 1st Lieutenant aboard the USS Cahokia. Following an honorable discharge in 1972, Larry reunited with Mary, and they moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he began a lifelong career at American Roller Bearing Co. (ARB), founded by Larry's grandfather. At ARB, Larry designed, manufactured and sold commercial roller bearings for nearly 50 years. He was awarded several patents during his career, and led ARB's efforts to receive ISO certification, one of the first companies of its kind to achieve this designation. Eventually rising to the role of President and CEO of the company, Larry forged strong relationships with other leaders across the national and international steel industry and with U.S. Government agencies, including the Department of Defense.



He served on the Boards of the National Association of Manufacturers and the American Bearing Manufacturers Association and was an active member of the Chamber of Commerce in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Morganton, NC. Larry also served on various alumni boards for his alma mater Lehigh University. He retired from ARB following the successful sale of the company in 2022.



Larry was an avid runner and bike enthusiast, but his true sports passion was golf. He was a member of the Pittsburgh Field Club and the Kiawah Island Club. After the death of his beloved wife, Mary, in 2000, Larry met Marti Beard, also an avid golfer who would become his companion for the remainder of his life. Larry and Marti eventually settled in Naples, Florida where they bought a home and joined the golf community of Grey Oaks Country Club. Larry and Marti quickly embraced the Florida lifestyle, its warm weather, cocktails on the beach and of course, playing golf every single day. When his number of mulligans taken became too many and his pace of play became too long, Larry pivoted to a new sports passion - the game of bocce. Together, he and Marti recruited neighbors to form the Noble Heron Rollers bocce team. Larry was known for his precise method of throwing bocce and his fierce competitive spirit.



While in Naples, Larry enjoyed volunteering with veterans' organizations and sponsored several veterans' community events. He received the Collier County Patriot Award from VFW Post 7721 in November of 2024. He attended First Presbyterian Church of Naples.



He is survived by his four devoted daughters, Kiersten S. Peterson (Justin) of Washington, D.C., Lauren N. Gagliardino (William) of Pittsburgh, PA, Jessica P. Mraz (Luke) of La Grange, IL, and Samantha D. Hegseth of Marine On St. Croix, MN; his five siblings, Mary Dickson of Butler, PA, Nancy McCullough (Laurence) of Big Canoe, GA, Lynne Betzwieser (Tom) of Hickory, NC, David Succop (Robyn) of Cornelius, NC, and Benjamin Succop (Sara Lou) of Morganton, NC. He is also survived by his twelve grandchildren and his many nieces and nephews.



In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Pearson Succop; his siblings Elizabeth Stevens, Sarah Merrill, William Succop, Carl Succop and James Succop.



A Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, January 14th at 1:00 pm; First Presbyterian Church of Naples, 250 6th Street S., Naples, FL 34102.