Services September 5 for Richard Larson
Richard (Dick) Larson died at Casa de la Luz Hospice Inpatient Unit on August 20th, 2015 in Tucson, AZ. Dick was pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran in Clearbrook from 1965-1976. A service celebrating his life will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Laporte, MN on Saturday, September 5th at 1:00 p.m.
Richard D. Larson was born in Chicago, IL on November 10, 1933 to Rudolph and Lillian (Ronning) Larson. He received hi elementary and secondary education in Chicago. He graduated from Luther College in Decorah, IA in 1954 with majors in Classical Languages and Religion. Entering Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN that fall he received his Bachelor and Masters Degree in 1958. He served his internship at Bethlehem Lutheran in St. Cloud, MN under Pastor Orrin Sheggeby. Before internship he was united in marriage on August 11, 1956 to Elaine Forde of Viroqua, WI whom he met at Luther College. He was ordained into the ministry at his home congregation of Bethel Lutheran in Chicago with two other friends from the congregation on June 1, 1958. He served for 40 years in parish ministry serving parishes at Parshall, ND, Clearbrook, MN, as Senior Pastor at Thief River Falls, MN and Akeley, MN. In each parish new church buildings or major additions were built with his leadership and in each congregation, members provided much of the labor. During the last 71/2 years of his ministry, he also served as a part-time Regional Representative for the Board of Pensions of the ELCA. As such, he led Pre-Retirement Seminars for pastors though out the U.S. and represented the Board at synodical assemblies and events. He also served as district and synod secretary and a member of the executive committee as well as a member of the National Church Council of the ALC in the years leading up to the 1988 merger. He was on the ELCA nominating committee, and while at Thief River Falls, he served on the Board of Directors of NW Medical Center.
His main hobby in life was construction, mainly at Kabekona Lake at Laporte, MN where his family was privileged to have property for 50 years—first a cabin and then a retirement home.
He married Billie Marie Elavsky of Walker, MN on June 6, 2006 and they took up residence in Tucson, AZ where they become members of Resurrection Lutheran in OroValley.
He is survived by his wife, Billie Marie; 4 children: Paul (Debra) Larson of Lawrenceville, NJ, Deborah (Keith) Landin of Warroad, MN, Mark (Jodi) Larson of Plymouth, MN, Steven (Jennifer) Larson of Decorah, IA; 9 grand children: Sarrah (David) Stevens, Travis, Jared (Sandy), Brandon (Carlye), and Erick Landin, Aaron, Adam, Andrew, and Nathan Larson; and six great grandchildren: Sydney, Ethan, Zachary, Beckett, Asher, and Easton Landin. Also part of the family, two college classmates of his children: Heidi Hagstrom and Tracy Hagstrom Durant and Tracy’s daughter Elaina.
He is also survived by his first wife and the mother of his children, Elaine (Forde) Larson of Green Valley, AZ and Laporte, MN, and by a large extended family.
His parents preceded him in death.