Lawrence Howard Bluford
November 21, 1951 — November 2, 2021
Lawrence Howard Bluford, 69, a resident of Punta Gorda, FL for the past three years, formerly of White Lake, MI, passed away Tuesday, November 2, 2021 in Fort Myers, FL. He was born November 21, 1951 in Detroit, MI to Richard and Ethel Bluford, now deceased.
Lawrence was of the Jewish faith. He was a wonderful husband and spoiled me rotten he took on four kids having none of his own. That was not an easy task but in the end he was the father and grandfather everyone loved and went to for advice. He was smart, tech savvy, organized, and drove me crazy sometimes. But if I was mad at him he would stick his tongue out at me and you couldn’t help laughing. He worked for Belle Tire for 38 years, started as a mechanic one of their best. The company grew and decided to have Larry teach all the mechanics they even gave him a new building to train in. He retired 2018 and we moved into Babcock Ranch and felt very lucky to live here.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 42 years, Nicola Bluford of Punta Gorda; three loving children, Keith Shelly (Lisa) of Fort Myers, Danielle Tabone of Babcock Ranch, FL, and William Shelly of San Francisco, CA; siblings, Frances Spreatz (Glen) of Bradenton, FL, and Alan Bluford (Alita) of Durham, NC; daughter in law, Kristie Shelly of White Lake, MI; seven grandchildren, Andrew Shelly (Andrea), Kenneth Shelly, Paul Shelly (Jocelynn) Matthew Shelly, Connor Shelly, Julie Schmidt (Cody), and Jakob Shelly; as well as one great grandson, Theodore Shelly. mother Katheryn Chaiappelli
Lawrence is preceded in death by a son, Matthew Shelly.
The family will receive friends for a time of visitation from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM Sunday, November 7, 2021 at Mullins Memorial, 3654 Palm Beach Blvd., Fort Myers, FL 33916.
A Celebration of Life will be held 4:00 PM Sunday, November 7, 2021 at the Babcock Ranch Lakehouse.
Memorial Contributions in memory of Lawrence Howard Bluford are suggested to American Diabetes Association, 1511 North Westshore Blvd., Suite 980, Tampa, FL 33607.
Mullins Memorial Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Fort Myers, is entrusted with final care.
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