Vernon David Larson

Son of the late Chester and Lorene Larson, Vern was born in Ames, Iowa on June 4th 1937 and was a resident of Burbank, CA for more than 60 years.

Vern went to Story City High School in Iowa, class of 1955. After serving in the Air Force, he drove to California on vacation and never looked back. He settled in Glendale, got a job at a camera store, and went on to get his automotive mechanic certification by attending night school. Upon completion, he would begin his career as an auto mechanic for various car dealerships which would span over 40 years. In 1964, he married Ernine (Henderson) Larson at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in North Hollywood, and they purchased their home in Burbank in which they would live for over the next 50 years. In 1969 they welcomed their first child, Dina, followed by son Chad in 1972. They would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in June of this year.

Vern was born into farm life in Iowa, and from this upbringing he developed a strong work ethic. He was driving a tractor before a car, and from this came a natural curiosity as to how things worked. He soon found he was a capable repair man and was able to identify mechanical problems and fix them with ease. He began his love affair with cars as a young man and would go on to own many classic cars over the years.

Aside from his interest in cars (primarily Chevys), Vern was also a skillful carpenter and began drawing up plans for design and construction add-ons to their home in Burbank, which he did primarily by himself and with a small crew of friends. He would go on to redesign their front porch, master bedroom and bathroom, and enlarge and expand their detached garage. This new garage was his oasis and would house his work shop, various cars including a ‘30 Chevy, ‘48 Chevy, ‘58 Chevy Impala, and even a John Deere tractor which be towed out from Iowa. Many restoration projects with old gas pumps and jukeboxes were always on stand by as well. Vern was self-taught in many aspects of life and took great pride in his unofficial title of “Barnyard Engineer.”

Vern was a decades long member of Emmanuel Lutheran church and rarely missed a Sunday. After joining the congregation upon his arrival in California, he would go on to teach Sunday School, join the choir, and be active in their youth group where he would meet his future wife. His faith in God was strong and was instilled in him at a young age by his parents as his family attended regular services at their local Lutheran Church in Iowa.

Many hobbies interested Vern throughout his life as is apparent by the variety of projects he enjoyed working on. He was a longtime member of the Verdugo Hills Vintage Car Club and has several classic and vintage car magazine subscriptions. Although now in California, he still maintained interest in farm equipment and machinery and had many repair manuals on hand. He loved 50’s and classic country music, and there was always music playing in the garage. Vern was always happy to help a friend with car trouble and did many “side jobs” in the back yard from oil changes to brake jobs. He had a big heart and rarely said no to anyone. He also loved animals and had many beloved cats over the years.

Vern is survived by his loving wife Ernine, daughter Dina (Larson) Zimmerman and son-in-law Kevin Zimmerman of Simi Valley, grandsons Thomas and Justin Zimmerman, aunt Erma Jean (Sansgaard) Brown of Missouri, sister Carol Ann (Larson) Shafer and brother-in-law Roy Shafer of Iowa, nephew Jeff Shafer of Iowa, niece Lori Ann (Shafer) Prier of Iowa, sister-in-law Janet (Henderson) Schray of North Hollywood, niece Laurie Herndon of Burbank, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. He is preceded in death by his parents Chester and Lorene (Sansgaard) Larson, brother Richard Larson, and son Chad Larson.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday May 11th at 11am at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in North Hollywood. Vern is laid to rest at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood. May he rest in eternal peace.