William "Larry" Cunniff

Cunniff, William "Larry" passed away peacefully at home on August 8, 2015, after a courageous battle with lung disease. He was born in Miami Beach to parents: Hugh and Anne Wooten Cunniff on October 27, 1943. He graduated from Palmetto High School in South Miami, attended Miami Dade Junior College, became a reservist in the US Air Force, and worked in overseas construction for several years. He loved being a native Floridian, growing up in South Miami, which was "country" at that time. He asked his parents when they moved to that area "Do the birds even fly out this far?" He had a wonderful time in those years and the stories are endless! In March of 1968, Larry met Linda Garton on the beach in Nassau and 10 days later he proposed to her on a boat in Key Biscayne. They were married on May 4, 1968, and another adventure began for both of them! In 1972 they moved to Highlands County "to decide where they wanted to settle down in Florida" and rarely left their precious Highlands County after that. Larry always owned a business of some sort but his favorite and everlasting was his plant nursery business, Riverdale Nursery, which he started in 1980. It was therapy while he embarked on his very successful journey of sobriety from alcohol addiction. He was sober for 35 years! But never bragged or talked about it because he knew it was a gift from God which he appreciated and enjoyed. Along with his love of his plants and palm trees, he had an enduring love affair with cars! It began in his teen years, and in the 80's he began his collection of classic cars. In 1986 he joined Sports Car Club of America and for the next 10 years his focus was on building, working on, talking about, and racing cars. He raced tracks all over the Southeast including Sebring, Daytona, and Road Atlanta. Race teams asked him to help them with their cars and he traveled all over the US with various race teams. Again, the stories are endless! He is survived by his adoring wife of 47 years, Linda; loving and attentive nieces Patty ("Andy") Cochran and Lisa (Michael) Wilcoxon, both of Cape Coral; and sister: Kathleen Gibbs of Africa. He was predeceased by his parents, sister: Beth McHugh; brother-in-law: Edward McHugh, and brother: Richard Cunniff. His eccentric personality will be greatly missed by his family and the many friends he made in Highlands County. A Celebration of his Life will be held at Stephenson-Nelson Funeral Home, 111 E. Circle St. Avon Park, FL 33825 on Saturday, August 22, 2015 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in his name to Tri County Human Services, a very effective local drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility at: 1815 Crystal Lake Drive, Lakeland, FL 33801.