Larson, Duane Nels 1933 - 2022
LARSON, SWEET, SORENSON, PEARCE, WOOD, DOSTAL, WILLIAMS, JACOBSON, BEARD, HAUGE, KASIK, HAUGEBAK, STATZER, CARRIGAN
Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 10/14/2022 at 15:23:05
U.S. Veteran
Duane Nels Larson, age 89, passed peacefully on Thursday morning, September 15, 2022, at Winneshiek Medical Center after a night full of love and laughs with his daughters.
Funeral services will be held at 2pm on Thursday, October 20, 2022, at Decorah Lutheran Church with Reverend Peter Kowitz presiding.
Visitation will be at the church from 1pm until the time of service and burial of cremains at Canoe Ridge Lutheran Cemetery following services.
A celebration of a life well lived will be at the Decorah VFW from 5pm-730pm. Guests are encouraged to share a Duane story at the open mike.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to HSNEI, VFW Decorah, or charity of your choice.
Duane’s new mission comes with a reunion of family and friends long missed. His adventure includes happy horses, devoted dogs, seeing all worlds, planting trees, dancing, playing cards, puzzling out new ideas, and writing songs and singing loudly. His only concern was leaving Arlene, his beloved wife of 65 years. He requested we take good care of her and celebrate the memories of his good life.
Duane was born on July 19, 1933, to Southwick and Marjorie (Sweet) Larson in Joice, Iowa. The 6th child and 1st boy, he was doted on and kept in line by 5 beautiful older sisters, Marcella, Lorraine, Louise, Merle and Dorothy. Two more siblings, Norman and Norita arrived later to complete his tight-knit family. He was baptized at Elk Creek Lutheran church and attended the Luther League National convention in Seattle as a teenager. Driving there with a couple great friends broadened his world perspective. He graduated from Kensett High School, and shortly after he and good friend, Roger Helgeson motorcycled out to the West Coast. They got union cards to work the docks and were happy vagabonds. They would sweep out a warehouse in LA or work in a sardine cannery or pick fruit to make a little money for the next adventure. One of his favorite jobs was as a Good Humor Ice Cream truck driver until he realized he was eating all his profit.
The Army called and from 1953-1955 Duane was stationed with the 39th Infantry Regiment in Germany as a radio specialist. His family sent him marvelous letters of home life and Duane fully embraced and learned from every experience across Europe.
After an honorable discharge he joined his brother, Nope, working for Carlson Construction in Decorah. Leonard, Lester and Elmer Sorenson taught him lots of tricks to use in sticky work situations. One day his boss, Leonard, invited him to dinner where he met the very lovely and witty daughter, Arlene.
He then took a job with Western Electric (AT&T) and classes from DeVry to enhance his prospects. He married Arlene Sorenson on January 20, 1957, at Canoe Ridge Lutheran. 11 months later Jackie was born followed by Pat 1 ½ years later. Duane’s job took him all around Iowa installing phone equipment, so they purchased a 40’ trailer as their 1st home. Moving from one job site to another required a ‘toter truck’ and permits for the trailer with Ar, kids, and possessions packed in the following car. Now he was a gainfully employed vagabond with dependents.
When 3rd daughter, Tracy, arrived 5 years later the Larsons purchased land from Curt Nordheim north of Decorah and built the family home and acreage. Duane continued to work from the road while Arlene held the fort weekdays with very well-behaved girls at all times. Duane would get home on Friday night and the daughters fondly remember (now, NOT then) his booming voice Saturday morning 7am ‘Get up! You’re burning daylight!’ Off they’d traipse to build fences, stack woodpiles, cut hay, tend horses, construct a needed something-or-other with unlikely materials. He was clear from the start that if we wanted a pony, we would be responsible for all aspects of pony possession. He covered our shortcomings.
One of Duane’s oft used phrases was ‘A guy could probably….(insert problematic objective)’ and the crew knew creative measures would be initiated until ‘a guy’ found a solution. A vivid memory of this was a Land Rover broke down in a deep gully in Zimbabwe lion country at dusk. The driver headed out on a 9-mile trek to get another rig and warned it could take several hours and to be mindful of the danger when positioned lower than other predators. Never one to sit and fret, that ‘guy’ Duane got us out of the vulnerable gulch with a stout stick thrust into the wheel at intervals and a couple other tinkerings and his motivated family following his calm instruction. Once on higher ground, we enjoyed the last bit of sunset and ate all the snacks Arlene perpetually purveyed and discussed what a ‘guy would do’ if threatened by a critter (like one of those dang warthogs)
After a long successful career, Duane retired to an even busier schedule tending the acreage, travelling with Arlene, family and friends around the country, many trips to Colorado and Alaska where he always left his daughters’ places better than he found them and mentoring his grandkids. Duane and Arlene stepped up to help in so many ways, quietly and efficiently sharing their talents and elbow grease with Habitat for Humanity, Fix It Club at Decorah Lutheran, building and maintaining horse trails through Barbara Van Peenan Park and countless family projects.
Once you met Duane, you did not forget him. He kept his sense of humor, his love of family, his strong work ethic and his faith in God until his last breath. We miss his poetry, songs, love, guidance, innovation and sharp wit.
He is survived by his wife, Arlene. Three daughters and son-in-laws Jacqueline and Steve Pearce in Alaska, Patricia and Steve Wood in Colorado, Tracy and Wayne Dostal of Decorah. Grandchildren Tyler Dostal, Decorah, Carolyn Wood, USAF Okinawa, Cody (Sara Boyd, fiancée) Dostal, Cedar Rapids and Travis Wood, CSU Pueblo, Colorado. Sister Dorothy Williams, Northwood, IA. Sisters In Law Edna Jacobson, Marilyn (Jay) Beard, Gerry Sorenson, Cindy Larson of Decorah, Brother-in-law Dale (Connie)Sorenson, Arizona. Many nieces and nephews and friends around the world.
He was preceded in death by parents Marjorie and Southwick Larson, siblings and spouses, Marcella and Bert Hauge, Lorraine and Frank Kasik, Louise and Marle Haugebak, Merle and Dean Statzer, Bud Williams, Norman Larson, and Norita Carrigan. In laws Leonard and Kate Sorenson, Lester Sorenson, Bud Jacobson, Elmer and Charlotte Sorenson and Arnold Sorenson.
Source: Helms Funeral Home database
Canoe Ridge Cemetery
Winneshiek Obituaries maintained by Jeff Getchell.
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