LOGAN, UTAH: Lavon Freeman Larson, age 94, passed away Friday, May 27, 2005 at Logan Regional Hospital from a heart arrhythmia incident to age. He was born January 13, 1911 in Logan, Utah to August and Nellie Clifford Larson.

Lavon married Maurine Smart June 16, 1939 in the Logan LDS Temple. He was an active member of the member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Mr. Larson is a 1948 graduate of Utah State Agricultural College, today known as Utah State University, in the field of Mechanical Arts. He taught there for three years. He designed and built the first electric remote control scoreboard in the old Smart Gymnasium at USU. He worked for Logan city Power for 10 years, Franklin County Sugar Company for three years, Thompson Electric, Utah Power and Light, and then after twenty-three years of teaching machine work and drivers education, retired from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Intermountain Indian School at Brigham City.

Before dual controls in the drivers education cars became commercially available, he designed his own controls and adapted them to safely teach his driving students. Lavon was a man ahead of his time. He also developed his own windshield defrosters before that feature was marketed in automobiles.

As a young boy, Lavon would fill his containers with buttermilk from Borden milk factory where his father worked, and then head uptown to sell his buttermilk. The Bluebird Restaurant and the prominent Eccles family were among his customers. Jobs were hard to find, but he was very industrious.

In his youth he won a contest for riding his bicycle the greatest distance on a narrow rail without falling off. He was the exuberant bicycle man of Cache valley who could be found riding around town while sitting backwards on the bicycle seat. His lucky daughters had the luxury of riding on his personally designed and constructed child bicycle seat. It was made of wood and fit over the bar on his bicycle. This was all before things of this type could be purchased at a store. Daddy’s home-made stilts were the delight of his children.

Our family fondly thinks of Lavon as our own “Johnny Appleseed”. Wherever he lived he planted apple trees. He gifted many with apple trees to plant. He relished not only eating the apples but also ate the cores seeds and all. Courtesy of Lavon our family has savored a lifetime of the most delectable apples Grandpa could grow or purchase.

After the passing of his wife Maurine, Lavon moved to his beloved Hillcrest Avenue home where he was embraced by neighbors and the members of the LDS Hillcrest Second Ward. He loved it there and often expressed gratefulness for that blessing. Lavon was a responsible steward taking immaculate care of his home and yard. When it came to exercise and good nutrition, he lived what he taught. Each morning, until the age of ninety-one he walked across USU campus, down college hill, and back up to his home.

Gentle man,
Selfless soul,
Gift from God…
To bless our lives,
We love you, DAD

He is survived by his sister Marie Moser (Marlow) Logan, Utah, and his brother Emery (Doreen) Larson of Salt lake City Utah, his three daughters and one stepson, Sharon Bickmore (Bill) St. George, Utah, June Smith (Cleve) Hyrum, Utah , Barbara Hill (Dave) Casper, Wyoming, and Dr. Arthur Gene Smart Irvington, Alabama. He enjoyed visiting his eleven grandchildren, Eric, Holly, Heidi, Lance, Chris, Shauna, Kimberly, Lacey, Tracy, Reggie, and Clair and also his twenty-three great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife Maurine Smart Larson, his parents, August and Nellie Larson, Sisters Eunice Young (Preston), Verda Kelly (Howard), and brothers Max and Delvar Larson.

Funeral Services will be held 12:00 noon Friday June 3, 2005 at the Allen Hall Mortuary Chapel., 34 East Center Street, Logan, Utah. Friends and family may pay their respects on Thursday evening form 6-7:00 PM and on Friday from 10:30-11:30 AM on Friday at the mortuary. Interment will be in the Millville, Utah cemetery. Online condolences may be sent to Allen Mortuaries.