Larry Williams remembered as artistic educator, cook

Dothan lost one of its few true Renaissance men Sunday with the passing of Larry Williams.

Williams, 57, died at Flowers Hospital of heart failure.

A native Dothanian, Williams was known for his commitment to theater and cooking and his excellence at these and other artistic pursuits.

“Instead of being a jack of all trades and a master of none, he was a master of several,” friend Jim McGee said.

Williams was an educator, teaching theater at Dothan High School and Northview High School before his retirement.

Mary Plunkett, a colleague of Williams, said he was a dedicated and demanding teacher.

“He did an excellent job and the kids under him did an excellent job.”

Nephew Brian Williams said this in a Facebook posting: “I think Larry inspired people. I feel that people who were fortunate enough to have him as a teacher went on to be stronger writers, actors, and stronger in their lives.”

Williams’ local renown for cooking either matched or overshadowed his theatrical fame, and many Dothan residents have fond memories of events catered by his business, Larry Paul’s Catering and Flowers.

“He made artwork out of his food,” Plunkett said.

According to friends, Williams had a mercurial temperament and did not suffer fools gladly.

“He lived life, it didn’t live him, and he was not afraid to express any emotion he was feeling,” family friend Tim Metcalf said.

Williams’ ups and downs were leavened with a healthy dose of humor, however.

McGee remembers a story Williams often told about a mishap that happened in his kitchen.

“He was making these chocolate covered balloons and once the chocolate started getting hard the balloons started popping and getting chocolate all over his ceiling,” McGee said. “...He didn’t mind being the brunt of a joke.”

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