Johnny Larry Pittman

Johnny Larry Pittman, 78, passed away and went to the great fishing hole in the sky at 11:29pm on December 20, 2022. Peacefully asleep in his bed and surrounded by his loving family, he lost his battle with small-cell lung cancer that had spread throughout his body. A fighter until the end, he did not really lose, but rather, handled his transition gracefully and was ready to greet the other side with a smile, a joke, and a glass of bourbon. He was greeted at his heavenly fishing spot by his mother, Alma Pittman, his father, John Pittman, and his favorite aunt, Connie Bowen.

Though he was born in 1944 in Macon, Georgia, he relocated to the heart of Fort Pierce, Florida at the age of 4 with his parents, where his family ran a fisherman’s lodge near 2nd street. Whether he was picking cotton, cleaning fish, or delivering newspapers, he was a financial contributor to his family since he was a young boy, and a strong work ethic and sense of duty were central tenants to who he was throughout his life.

At 15, he began his lifelong career with Winn Dixie, starting as a bag boy and working his way through every department over the next 40 years, eventually becoming one of the most respected store managers in the region for decades.

At 17, he met the love of his life, his beautiful bride, the future Ms. Brenda Joyce Pittman (nee McLaughlin), and took her out on their first date to North Beach Jetty Park, where he grilled her hamburgers and won her heart. Married 2 years later, in 1964, Larry and Brenda quickly started a family that eventually blessed them with 3 rambunctious, talented, strong-willed children – Kimberli Renee, Larry Wayne, and Deidra Rae – and raised them in their lifelong family home in White City area.

A living model of the motto “If you’re going to do something, do it well,” he was an avid learner and jack-of-all trades. He was a life-long fisherman, hunter, and meat-man, hobbies that both gave him endless enjoyable hours spent in nature, as well as the ability to feed his family and friends delicious food that he lovingly harvested, crafted, and slow-roasted to perfection. To anyone who would sit and listen, he would share every detail of his prep process, so that all could appreciate the care that went into every prefect meal.

After retiring at the age 55, he and his wife travelled throughout North America in their RV, visiting and experiencing almost every single state in the US and Province in Canada. His passion for exploring never waned, and he would regale anyone and everyone with stories of their many travels at every opportunity. He also never failed to give verbal driving directions to any place that someone might be considering going to, a human GPS with an infallible mental map of the how to get anywhere.

His quick wit and sassy sense of humor never failed to brighten a room and make everyone in it feel like a life-long part of his family. He welcomed all people into his home with open arms and a plate of barbeque, and could connect with people from all walks of life, as long as they had the time to sit on the porch and talk while the world went by.

He is survived by his loving wife, Brenda, as well as his children; his oldest daughter Kimberli and son-in-law Donald, his only son Larry and daughter-in-law Eileen, and his youngest daughter Deidra and son-in-law Michael, as well as his many grandchildren; Dara and Chris Cameron, John and Madison (Wisconsin) Cameron, Grace and Claire Pittman, Kelli and Garrett (Levi) Malone, and Ashlie and Tiffani Kinnaman.

A celebration of life will be held on January 14th, 2023, from 2pm-5pm at the Francis Langford Pavilion at Indian Riverside Park, 1707 NE Indian River Drive, Jensen Beach, FL, 34957. All friends and family are welcome. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting memorial gifts be made to a charity of your choice. Condolences can be made online with Haisley Funeral Home at www.haisleyfuneralhome.com .