Larry Edward Register, 80, passed away on September 19, 2026, in Palm Harbor, Florida. Larry was born on June 29, 1946, in Valdosta, Georgia to Charles Wesley Register and Lois Levance Hickey Register. The youngest of five children including his brother Charles “Chuck” and sisters Betty Jean and Jacqueline “Jackie” Lee, but his baby status was short lived with the arrival of his younger brother, Gary Allen.  The family moved to Hastings, Florida around 1948 settling in Spuds, the potato capital of Florida.

Larry’s commitment to family and a strong work ethic was instilled at a young age as he frequently worked with his father as a pre-teen A natural athlete and leader, Larry excelled at sports playing varsity football, basketball and baseball and left home at 15 to live with Jackie and her family in Gainesville, Florida where he graduated from high school in 1964. During his senior year, he took a job at Kinney Shoes, where he met his future wife, Dixie Lee Cone. As Dixie was slightly older, she was not particularly keen on the 17-year-old Larry, but never one to give up easily he persisted and finally Dixie agreed to a date. The rest they say is history. A few weeks after graduation and his 18^th birthday, Larry and Dixie were married in Lake City, Florida starting a love affair that would last 50 years and 4 days until Dixie’s passing in 2014.

Larry was drafted into the Army in 1966, serving as an armor crewman in the tank division, and he and Dixie made their way to Augsburg, Germany. Always up for an adventure, they found time to travel around Europe on $5 a day, and given the tight budget spent many nights sleeping in their Volkswagen Beetle. Larry earned the rank of Specialist 5 and an Honorable Discharge before he and Dixie left Germany in 1968, returning to Kinney Shoes and settling in Texas where he and  Dixie started their family with the arrival of a son and daughter. The young family would eventually make their way back east to Atlanta, Georgia when Larry became the youngest district manager in Kinney Shoes’ history. With all the constant moving and work, Larry and Dixie always found time for each other, the kids and countless adventures. Whether it be weekly bowling league tournaments, weekends at the country club playing tennis and golfing, summer holidays on the lake water skiing, or vacations away (Hawaii and Hilton Head where personal favorites), there was always time for a bit of fun.

Larry left Kinney Shoes in 1979 to start his own sport shoes company with several colleagues and the family moved to Clearwater and then Palm Harbor, Florida. After several years of running a successful company, Larry made a significant career change moving into real estate. This would have a profound impact on his career and life when he took a job as a business broker with James White. While there he made several lifelong friends and took on a more active role in the community. While becoming a very successful and respected real estate professional, his strong leadership skills saw him elected President of the Dunedin Jaycees where he was instrumental in bringing on the Toronto Blue Jays as members. An avid golfer, Larry was a founding member of the Wentworth Golf Club and organized several local golf tournaments.

Larry and Dixie cherished their grandchildren, Christopher and Kalyn, and treasured every moment spent with them. There were secret ice cream sandwiches before dinner, office supplies smuggled home so a young Kalyn could play businesswoman, and lazy weekend afternoons in front of the TV watching football with young Chris. Papa and Nana were every bit as loved in return.

Following Dixie’s passing, Larry was fortunate to find companionship with Donna Jones, who brought joy and new adventures into his later years.

Larry is survived by his siblings, Jacqueline “Jackie” Lee Ward and Gary Allen Register; his son, Larry Edward “Eddie” Register Jr.; daughter, Leslie Dawn Register; and grandchildren Christopher William Smart and Kalyn Lois Smart. He also leaves behind his cherished companion, Donna Jones, and Bill Smart, father of his grandchildren, along with countless nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Empath Suncoast Hospice