Frank Henry Larson

Frank Henry Larson, 95, of Duxbury, Eastham, and Yarmouth passed away peacefully on March 6th. Born in 1930 to Ethel (Sandblom) and Harold Larson, he grew up in Quincy and graduated from Quincy High School in 1948. His family attended the Covenant Congregational Church of Quincy and it was there that he met Beverly, who would later become his wife. Also during his childhood was the start of a lifelong love of Cape Cod, as his family would vacation in Eastham. Frank, along with his dad, brother, and cousin, built a cottage in 1948 that is still in the family today.

He attended Northeastern University after high school, but his matriculation was interrupted by the Korean War. He was drafted in 1953 and spent 2 years in the army as part of the occupation forces in Germany. He returned to Northeastern after the war, graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1956, and began his career at General Dynamics. He and Beverly were engaged on Nauset Light Beach and married in Quincy in 1957. They lived a few years in Weymouth and Virginia before putting down roots in Duxbury in 1970, where they raised their 3 children.

His 3-decade career at General Dynamics was during the nascent nuclear power push by the U.S. Navy, and his team designed many of the systems that supplied and cooled this new form of propulsion in surface ships and submarines.

Like most engineers of his day, he could fix practically anything – there wasn’t a home improvement project or car repair he couldn’t handle. He loved the outdoors and being in nature, whether skiing, camping, hiking, or gardening and he played golf and tennis into his 80s. He coached his kids when they were little and never missed an event, whether athletic or theatrical. Family always came first.

Frank and Bev retired to Eastham in 1990 (creating their retirement home from a summer cottage) and spent the next 25 years travelling the country in a series of RVs, often gone for months at a time and eventually visiting all 50 states. There were non-US adventures as well, including Mexico, Germany, and Australia. They made wonderful friends on the road – an early trip to Alaska resulted in friendships and reunions that lasted for decades.

The travelling lessened a bit in the early part of the new millennium, as they were the caregivers to Bev’s mother Evelyn who passed away in 2010 at age 106. Frank did a lot of driving for cancer patients for FISH and was active in Habitat for Humanity. They also enjoyed hosting and visiting their grandchildren and following all their activities.

Family, Faith, and Friendship were the 3 pillars of the Larson household – everyone was welcomed and loved, with a special place reserved for fellow Swedes! And while not known for his singing ability, Frank’s “Five Golden Rings” during the family Christmas sing-along was the stuff of legend.

Frank lost his beloved wife Beverly in September of last year, and is survived by his 3 children: Jeff (Martha) Larson of Canton, Alan Larson of Eastham, and Sharon (Greg) Schmidt of Harvard, as well as his sister-in-law Shirley (Johnson) Doppler of Ft. Myers, and many nieces & nephews. He loved spending time with his 5 grandchildren: Hannah (Larson) Andrade (Ricky) of Mansfield, Matthew Schmidt of Somerville, Sam Larson of Canton, Jonathan Schmidt of Shrewsbury, and Jenna Larson of NYC. He was also predeceased by his brother Ed, his sisters Doris & Ruth, and 14 maternal cousins on the Sandblom side.

Funeral services will be private and at a later date. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either the Massachusetts Audubon Society or Broad Reach Hospice.