Alexander M. McLarty

Alexander McKnight McLarty of Lakeland, Tennessee passed away at age 87 on December 7th, 2012 at Trinity Hospice House in Collierville, Tennessee. Alex was born on May 26th, 1925 as the youngest of four children to the parents of Bonnie and Beryl McLarty. Alex, Louise, and Charles are all survived by their oldest brother Bonnie, age 94, living in Columbia, Maryland. After serving in the 4th Auxiliary Surgical Company during World War II, "Dr. Mac" graduated from Loma Linda medical school in 1953. He had a family practice in East Memphis and later joined his brother Dr. B.E. McLarty and Dr. George T. Mills to form McLarty, Mills, McLarty which later became Peabody Medical Group. Alex was married to Velma Louise McLarty from August of 1948 until her death on very same day of December in 2001. Both were devoted members of the Raleigh Seventh-day Adventist Church. Their oldest son Richard and his wife Jerri live in the Memphis area. Richard has two daughters, Rochelle and Stephanie, and two step sons, Kenny and Kevin. Alex and Velma were preceded in death by their beautiful daughter Linda Louise in 1970. Their youngest son Kevin and his wife Cindy live in Collierville, Tennessee and have two sons, Derek and Kyle. There are 13 great grandchildren. Alex remarried in November of 2002 to Emily Finley McLarty who was by his side until his death. From the time he played jazz trumpet at Whitehaven high school until late in his life Alex always loved music and getting people together to play. The chapel at Memphis Funeral Home on Germantown Parkway will open at 1:30 pm on Sunday, December 16th for visitation and a memorial service will follow at 2:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you donate a memorial to a veterans charity such as Alpha Omega or Disabled American Vets or to the Baptist Trinity Hospice House of Collierville.