George W Larson

George William Larson died in his home, surrounded by family, in Salt Lake City on May 29, 2012 after a brief illness. George was born December 7, 1914 in Minneapolis, MN to Oscar and Alma Larson. He graduated from West High School in Minneapolis and accepted an invitation to play baseball for the Detroit Tigers farm team in Florida. The summer of 1935 was very hot and he decided that the life of a professional baseball player was not for him.

Jobs for young men were hard to find. He thought he would enlist in the Air Force. An officer reviewed his records and advised George to go to college first. He enrolled at Ripon College, Ripon, WI and graduated in the spring of 1941 with a college degree and a commission as a lieutenant in the US Army Reserve. He married his college sweetheart, Annelle Moore of Ripon, the first of November.

Immediately following Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, his unit was called into active duty. He served in the 5th Infantry Division, which was one of the first full force divisions to leave the United States, deploying to Iceland, later training in Ireland and England, then landing in France in July 1944 to begin a long march across northern Europe. At the close of war he transferred back into the Reserve, rising to the rank of Lt. Col. and retired in 1966.

In 1951 he joined the FBI and worked in offices in Louisville, South Bend, Detroit, Kalamazoo, San Francisco and Salt Lake City. His meritorious service earned him letters of commendation from J. Edgar Hoover and L. Patrick Gray, III, Director and Acting Director of the Bureau respectively. Following retirement in 1975 he served on the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army, Salt Lake City and pursued his new hobby, golf. He became an active member of Mt. Olympus Presbyterian Church.

At the age of 72, curiosity motivated George to travel to Nepal. He hiked to 11000 feet to see Mt. Everest looming just 14 miles from where he stood. In 1992 George made a return trip through northern Europe with surviving members of his Army unit to be welcomed by liberated villagers and to honor fallen comrades' grave sites.

George will be remembered for his good and loving heart, his generosity, his dedication to service and his joyful spirit. "Just a little levity!", he would say, as he always injected humor into the stories he told.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Annelle, and his sister, Phyllis Fletcher of Minneapolis. He is survived by his wife of 5 years, Jane (Frudden) Templeman, his sister Genevieve Johnson of Minneapolis and sons George W. Jr. (Bill) and his wife Janeane of Santa Fe and Robert (Bob) and his wife Suzanne of Salt Lake City and his nieces and nephews in the Minneapolis area. .

A celebration of the life of George Larson will be held at the Mt. Olympus Presbyterian Church on Saturday, June 16, 2012 at 11 o'clock a.m.

Friends wishing to make a memorial gift are asked to direct them to Mt Olympus Presbyterian Church, the Salvation Army, or a charity of their choice.