L. A. Mott, Jr, age 78, passed away at his home in Jacksonville, Florida, on Tuesday, August 16, 2016. L. A. was born January 10, 1938, in Brooker, Florida, to L. A. “Shine” Mott, Sr, and Cordella Brown Mott. He moved to Gainesville in his teens where he graduated from Gainesville High and attended the 14th Street Church of Christ. He studied at Florida Christian College from 1956 – 1959 where he was voted Mr. Florida Christian College. In 1959, he married Jill Whitehead. He completed his studies at Eastern Michigan University, with a degree in Language and Literature and Ancient History. He spent 50 years as a preacher in churches of Christ, including churches in Las Vegas; Michigan; Birmingham, Alabama; Ocala, Florida; and Maine. He is most known for his ability to study, understand, and communicate the Bible on a deep level. He has published widely-used tracts and booklets, such as “What is the Church of Christ?” and “Keeping Saved: God’s Good Gifts to Preserve His People”; study guides on the Bible, designed to enable church members of all ages to study the entire Bible in three years; and several books including Faith in the Book of Romans and Notebook on Jeremiah. Since 1996, he has published eleven books in the Thinking Through the Bible Series and CDs of his classes (thinkingthrough.org). He died with two more completed manuscripts on the New Testament books of Galatians and First Peter. One of his students expressed a sentiment shared by many: “Praise God for the life and work of L.A. Mott. His challenge toward rigorous study has both made my brain tired and my faith soar! I loved him, I cherish his writings, and I intend to use what he has left behind to continue to grow personally, and to teach others as we all follow him into the arms of our Savior.” He loved sports, especially the Detroit Tigers and the Florida Gators, fishing, bowling, movies, especially westerns, and was a voracious reader since childhood — from Tom Sawyer to Dickens to Zane Gray westerns to lengthy volumes of early American history in his last years. He loved simple southern cooking and fried seafood. He coached little league, played softball and racquetball, and ran 5ks. One of his most calming activities was to walk outside among the trees and talk to his Father in prayer. He truly dedicated his fine mind and determined spirit to serving the God he loved and helping Christians understand Scripture more accurately and apply it. L. A. was preceded in death by his parents and his wife Janie Alice “Jill” Whitehead Mott. Survivors include two sisters: Sandra Jergins of Tampa, Florida, and Jacqueline Brown of Alachua, Florida; three children: Deborah Cale of Jackson, Michigan, Richard (Lisa Abbott) Mott, and Todd (Rebecca Haynes) Mott, both of Jacksonville, Florida; and five grandchildren: Sam (Sarah Moyer) Cale (26), Laurie Cale (24), Thomas Cale (20), Ben Mott (19) and Emma Grace Mott (16). A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 27, 2016, at the Julington Creek Church of Christ, 1630 State Road 13 North, St. Johns, Florida. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to either the Cancer Research Institute (cancerresearch.org) or a fund that has been created to help publish the two manuscripts that L. A. recently completed (tinyurl.com/donate-mott).
