Lawrence McDowell Chiles, 74, died on May 11, 2023, at St. Joseph Hospital, Lexington, Ky after a masterful battle with cancer. Larry was born on July 21, 1948, in Lexington, KY, to the late Emmett Lawrence “Buddy” and Martha Land Chiles.
Larry graduated from Henry Clay High School in 1966 and went on to attend the University of Kentucky. He started his career as a disc jockey in radio when he was in high school and went on to work at WLAP until 1988 when Larry and his business partner Jim Jordan started, Jordan Chiles, a market leading and award-winning advertising agency. Larry acquired Meridian Communications in 2008 and closed the company in 2014.
Larry was best known for his career in advertising and broadcasting, always using his skills to advance the success of his clients and many charities for whom he did pro bono work. Being a native of Lexington, Larry was proud of the evolution of Lexington and at times sounded like a one-man chamber of commerce. Larry went on to work with his son Andrew and Chase Gullett at eLink Design and took great pride in helping them to grow the company.
Larry is survived by his wife of 49 years, Jane Johnson Chiles, his three sons: Lawrence McDowell “Mac” Chiles Jr (Brittney), Martin “Marty” David Chiles, Andrew Land Chiles. Larry took great delight in his three grandchildren – Lawrence “Law” McDowell Chiles III, Kathryn Elizabeth Chiles, and Martin Henry Chiles, all of Lexington, KY. Having been an only child, Larry thoroughly enjoyed being a part of Jane’s large family. He would often brag with deep affection about Jane’s siblings, their spouses and his many nieces and nephews. Larry leaves behind four sisters-in-law: Katie Dawson (Ed), Peg Reynolds (Scott), Julie Darnieder (Mark) and Karen Sokal (Steve). He also leaves behind one brother-in-law, Tom Johnson (Ann). Larry enjoyed many cousins and was particularly close to Lloyd Maury, Kent Maury, and Dianne Luby.
The Funeral Mass for Larry Chiles will be held on Friday, May 19, 2023, at Noon at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Lexington.
Visitation will be Friday morning at the Cathedral from 10 a.m. until the service at noon. Pallbearers will be Robert Hamlin, Robert Shropshire, Steve Parrish, Tom Johnson, Chase Gullett, Steve Dawson and J.P. Miller.
Memorial donations are suggested to Surgery on Sunday at SurgeryonSunday.org or Rotary International Foundation at Rotarylexky.org. The online guestbook is available at www.stithcares.com.