Brent McLarty--Deland Florida

[3331 107]

Recived email from John Sherman:

About 7:30AM this morning Brent McClarty was on one of his 40 mile bike rides, going north on Rt. 11 just south of Rt. 40, and was in the bicycle lane.

A Brighthouse Cable company van hit him, from behind, and killed him.

He will be cremated. Details to follow.

We all lost one of the very best.

I Jumped with the guys who invented Skydiving.

[jonstark 8]

Brent was a man I have looked up to for almost my entire career. He was a super pilot and mechanic, a great dad and husband, an amazing craftsman. Quiet and unassuming but world renowned and relied upon for his skills. We had been trading e-mails recently for which I am glad to have at least had the chance to stay in touch however distant.

Tailwinds always Brent.

jon

[kkeenan 13]

Very sad news. Condolences to Karen and all his friends at DeLand. So sad after almost the same accident happening to Pam Pangburn last week.

Kevin K.

[JohnRich 4]

News stories:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-traffic-fatality-volusia-20110824,0,2253577.story

http://www.news-journalonline.com/breakingnews/2011/08/bicyclist-killed-in-collision-with-van.html

[3331 107]

Memorial Service for Brent McLarty

9:00 AM
Saturday August 27, 2011
2999 Marsh Road
Deland Florida 32724

See attached.

I Jumped with the guys who invented Skydiving.

[RhondaLea 3]

Quote

We all lost one of the very best.

Truer words were never written.

I'm so very sorry, Karen.

[3331 107]

I first met Brent McLarty in 1972 we were jumping in Transpo 72 the worlds biggest air show. He was one of the National Champions flown in from California for free.

In 1973-74 in Florida we were on Bill (T-bow) Smith's 4-man team. Brent was one of the teammates that rotated in and out.

Through the decades I jumped from DC3's and Twin Otters flown by Brent in Florida and Georgia, he often let me fly right seat in Mister Douglas.

I was there in Deland when he and Karen met and started their 36 year romance.

In all the conversations I had with Brent I can't remember him ever speaking negatively about anyone.

I Jumped with the guys who invented Skydiving.

[3331 107]

August 27, 2011|By Jeannette Rivera-Lyles, Orlando Sentinel
Many people like a little adventure in their lives, but Brent McLarty's life was an adventure in itself.

McLarty, of DeLand, was an experienced skydiver, a pilot, a sailor, a skilled water-skier and an avid cyclist. He died Wednesday when the bike he was riding was struck by a van. McLarty was 62.

His family said he loved to challenge himself and was always active. McLarty instilled those traits in his children, Sara and Dustin, who are both athletes.

"My whole family is very athletic," said Sara McLarty, a professional triathlete. "We all ride our bikes, swim, run and compete. My dad was sometimes the trainer, the early morning chauffeur to the races while everyone slept in the back, the cheerleader on the sideline and the bikes' mechanic."

McLarty had been home for only a few weeks when he died. He had spent three months in Norway piloting a plane that took skydivers to different parts of the country.

He picked up skydiving early in his life in California, where he was born. In 1972, he moved to Central Florida to work at Skydive DeLand as a pilot. There he met his wife, Karen, who was also a skydiver.

Together they custom-built their house on 20 acres of land and took several whitewater-rafting trips down the Colorado River. More recently, they took up sailing.

"My mother likes to say that he lived every minute of every day to the max," Sara McLarty said. "He didn't wait to have a good time — he made it happen."

In 2007, the couple celebrated their 25 wedding anniversary with a monthlong trip around the world.

"From start to finish, it was one huge, awesome adventure," Karen McLarty said. "We did a five-day safari in Africa, we went to New Zealand, Australia, Egypt. There wasn't one bad or dull moment in the whole trip."

But there was more to McLarty than his passion for adrenaline-inducing activities. He also was a skilled woodworker. In 1983 he founded Precision Operations, a DeLand business that makes custom wood goods, from window shutters to furniture.

McLarty's son, Dustin, of Irving, Calif., said his father was quite gifted in the culinary arts as well.

"For Thanksgiving he'd smoke a turkey for 12 hours," Dustin said. "It would be so moist and so sweet with the oranges he'd put in the smoker. There's nothing like it."

Another specialty of Chef McLarty: a mouth-watering grilled-cheese sandwich.

"It might sound easy, but not everybody can make a perfect one," Dustin said. "He could."

One of the family's fondest memories is McLarty's obsession with fixing things. He used to say that anything can be fixed with a large enough hammer.

"We'd be at a party and Dad would be in the kitchen fixing the ice maker because he heard the host saying that it wasn't working," Sara McLarty said, laughing.

In addition to his wife and children, McLarty is survived by his mother, Jane McLarty of DeLand; sister, Jan McLarty of Rockledge; and brother, Gerry McLarty of Phoenix.

I Jumped with the guys who invented Skydiving.

[Easterpig13 0]

Let's not forget Ian, who had worked for PD for many years, and after a short time with Aerodyne, lost his life on the streets of Tampa at an intersection he was stopped at waiting for the light to change.

We have to wonder if the person that hit him was texting or using his phone in some way.

Condolences to Brent's family & friends. So very sorry to hear of the loss...his family will be in my prayers for the strength to get through such a tragedy.

[skymama 35]

Quote

We have to wonder if the person that hit him was texting or using his phone in some way.

Word on the street is that the guy was texting at the time.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon