Darwin W. Larsen
LOGAN, Darwin W. Larsen, 82, passed away on March
27,2005.
He was born Apri13, 1922 in Logan. Utah, the second
son of Alvin Moroni Larsen and Lucinda Christensen
Larsen. A lifelong resident of Logan, he graduated
from Logan High School in 1940 where he excelled in
basketball, football, and track.
Darwin served his
country during World War II in the United States Coast
Guard. While stationed in the South Pacific and
Alaska, his ship escorted convoys and fought in the
battle of Leyte Gulf in the Philippines.
He married
Valeen Peterson. Together they had one daughter. They
later divorced. Dar was very proud of his Danish
ancestry and served in the Denmark Copenhagen Mission
in 1948. He mastered the Danish language and later
used his skills to extract thousands of names for
temple work in the Danish Extraction Program.
After being released from his mission, he rode a
Harley Davidson for three months throughout Europe
and Egypt. He returned to New York and rode home to
Utah.
He enrolled at Utah State Agricultural College
and graduated in 1954 with a business degree. While at
USAC, he was a member of Alpha Kappa Phi Fraternity
and the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. He married Carol
Jean Lewis I the Logan LDS Temple. They had four
children and later divorced.
Dar worked with his father and brother in the family
business. Al's Sporting Goods, Inc. He branched off
and opened Al's Trophies and Frames. Inc. His
entrepreneurial spirit led him to start many
successful businesses and develop several patented
product lines, including Larsen Dutch Oven Equipment.
An avid sportsman, Dar loved hunting, fishing, and all
sports. He was selected for the All-Church M-Mcn
Basketball All Star Team, played fast pitch softball,
and was elected to the Utah Softball Hall of Fame. A
founding member of the Cache Archery Club, he
participated in archery tournaments throughout the
west.
Dar loved to sing and entertain and was well
known as a Master of Ceremonies. He performed for
hundreds of organizations and events. He was very
civic minded and a true patriot. He served on the
Logan City Animal Control Board, Logan City Planning
and Zoning, and was elected to the Logan City Council
in 1975 where he served as Chairman. He held numerous
callings in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints including bishoprics, presidencies, and
scouting. His most loved calling was teaching Gospel
Doctrine at Sunshine Terrace for 19 years.
He is survived by his brother Gareth (Diane) Larsen of
Redmond, WA; former wife Carol Jean of Logan, UT; two
daughters, Sandi (Ron) Weber of Prescott, AZ; Cindy
(Kevin) Chugg of Providence, UT; three sons., LaRon of
Logan, UT; Vint (Guyann) Larsen of Hyde Park, UT; and
Corry of Anchorage, Alaska. Grandchildren: Carrie,
Kellie, Jamie, Carly, Cheyenne, and Dana. Two great
grandchildren. Andrew and Jack, with two more arriving
in April and June.
He was preceded in death by his
parents and two brothers, Alvin M. Larsen, Jr. and
Robert L. Larsen.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, March 31,
2005 at 12:00 noon at Allen- Hall Mortuary Chapel, 34
East Center Street, Logan, Utah. A viewing will be
held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday evening and
from.l0:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Thursday prior to the
services. Interment will be in the Logan City
Cemetery.
The family would like to express sincere thanks to the
staff at Terrace Grove Assisted Living Center for
their compassionate care of Dad. On line condolences
can be sent to mortuaryobits@yahoo.com please include
the family name.