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Couple together right to the end

Richard and Mary Mott rarely were apart during their retirement years in Clearwater. They died together in a car crash Tuesday.

By YUXING ZHENG
Published September 29, 2005

CLEARWATER - She was a sweet and pretty optimist, neighbors say. He rarely left his wife's side and devotedly drove her everywhere. Together, they lived at On Top of the World condominiums.

"They were celebrating their ... wedding anniversary in two weeks and they had tickets to go on a cruise," Virginia Barth said of her neighbors, Richard and Mary Mott.

The couple died Tuesday after their Lincoln Town Car clipped a pickup truck on Cleveland Street at Mars Avenue, police said. The car then knocked over a utility pole and slammed into a tree.

Both died of injuries suffered in the wreck, said Bill Pellan, director of investigations for the Pinellas-Pasco County Medical Examiner's Office. Richard R. Mott, 77, died at the scene at 5:06 p.m. Mary A. Mott, 76, died at 5:40 p.m. at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg. A full autopsy will take a month to complete.

The Motts left behind an adult son who lived with them, and two daughters, said Barth, 88. The couple lived in Clearwater for eight years after moving from Long Island, N.Y. Richard Mott worked as a physical education teacher at a high school and Mary Mott worked as an office manager, she said.

More recently, the couple struggled with their health, she said. Barth would often see Mary Mott slowly unload groceries from the car, but she brushed aside help.

"They never wanted anyone to help them," Barth said. "She was always smiling and always looked at the positive side of everything."

The private couple spent their retirement days in a two-bedroom apartment on the first floor of the white and green building. The two kept to themselves and rarely attended monthly dinners for the building's residents, said next-door neighbor Anne Watkins, 70.

Richard Mott had his left leg removed two years ago, Watkins said. He had a prosthetic leg but rarely used it, opting instead for his wheelchair. Mary Mott had difficulty walking and never drove in her life.

When the two went out, usually once or twice a day, Watkins could see how Mary Mott would slowly wheel her husband to their car, where he would hoist himself inside. She would then return the wheelchair to their front door before making her way back to the car.

The wheelchair sat empty outside the front door Wednesday.

Watkins said Richard Mott's determination to continue driving inspired her after knee replacement surgery two years ago left her too afraid to get behind the wheel.

"When I saw him get in the car and drive with his leg cut off, then, by gosh, if he can do it, I can do it too," she said. "He was courageous."

The two owned a white, brown and yellow collie named Whisper, who "protected them like mad," Watkins said. Twice a year, the two would go on cruises and visit casinos in Biloxi, Miss.

"She always sent Christmas cards and birthday cards," Watkins said. "She even sent me one a couple months ago when it wasn't even my birthday."

Despite their struggles, the two remained devoted to each other. Mary Mott's eyes would sparkle at times and she would declare she married the right man.

Watkins said she's grateful the two passed away together.

"Neither one of them would've gone a year without the other," she said. "They were very close."

-- Yuxing Zheng can be reached at 727 445-4163 or yzheng@sptimes.com.

[Last modified September 29, 2005, 01:19:16]