Businessman, arts supporter Larry Ollis dies at 95

Larry Ollis, a businessman and supporter of the arts in Springfield, died Oct. 10. He was 95.

Ollis was part of the third generation of what is now Ollis/Akers/Arney, an insurance firm that previously was called Ollis and Co. He also was instrumental in securing a permanent home for the Springfield Little Theatre.

Richard Ollis, CEO of Ollis/Akers/Arney, said Larry Ollis, his second cousin, was involved in the agency from the 1960s to the early 1990s.

"Larry was very instrumental," Richard Ollis said. "He wrote a lot of very large commercial accounts for our company and was involved in City Utilities, Springfield Public Schools. He was a big player in the large institutional insurance business."

Larry Ollis additionally helped secure Springfield Little Theatre's permanent home in the Landers Theatre in 1970, according to a Facebook post from Springfield Little Theatre. 

"Through his vision, persistence, and unwavering determination, a deteriorating downtown movie house was given new life as a home for community theatre. More than five decades later, generations of performers, volunteers, and audiences continue to benefit from the future he helped make possible," the post reads. "Together with his beloved wife, Fay, Larry dedicated much of his life to preserving Springfield Little Theatre's history and strengthening its place in our community."

According to his obituary posted to the website of Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home Inc., Ollis also owned Thomas Travel and operated it until it was sold in 2004. His civic work also included serving on the boards of the Springfield-Branson National Airport, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, CoxHealth and others.