Obituary of John Larson

John Lin Larson, 88, of Wellington, CO, passed away Friday, January 19, 2024. 

John was born May 1, 1935 to Peter and Lena (Pederson) Larson in Milbank, South Dakota. John was the second youngest of twelve children. He grew up and attended school in Milbank, playing a variety of sports in high school including basketball, football, track, baseball, and other intramurals. In 1954, John started as a communications technician for the Navy. He served out of Adak, Alaska from 1955 to 1956 and out of Hawaii in 1956 to 1957. John’s competitive nature continued in the Navy where he enjoyed playing bowling and softball to pass the time. He left the Navy on December 16, 1957, but remained proud of his service the rest of his life. 

Following his time in the service he returned home and married his wife, Ann Marie Fenhaus on February 14, 1958 who he had met while on leave after his time in Alaska. They had two children together, Kimberly Joy and Bradley Ray. John took a variety of different jobs for transport companies and lived in Sioux City, IA, Portland, OR, Minneapolis, MN, and Fargo, ND. John moved to Phoenix, AZ and worked as a letter carrier for the post office which he loved every minute of. John eventually moved to Northern Colorado and settled in Wellington after retiring.

John was very proud of his family, especially his children, grandchildren, and three great-granddaughters. He enjoyed going on drives around the Colorado foothills to look for elk, moose, and bald eagles. He found joy in the smallest of things, including interesting piles of rocks on his drives, sports or a game of cards, and anything his grandkids and great-granddaughters were up to. 

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Ann Marie Larson of Wellington; one daughter Kim Keiss and husband Stephen of Wellington; and one son Brad Larson and wife Laurie of Fort Collins, CO. He is also survived by his grandchildren: granddaughter Michelle Schnaidt and husband Jeremy of Sioux Falls, SD, and her daughters Makayden June and Maezie Lin; grandson Cole Larson of Evans, CO and his daughter Brooklyn; and granddaughter Sarah Keiss of Hays, KS. And several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, 5 brothers Carl, Edward, Odin (Butch), Leonard, and Raymond. 6 sisters Florence, Betty, Mildred, Helen, Millie, and Mabel.