Paul R. Larson

Paul R. Larson died peacefully on February 23, 2015, at age 94. He was born on October 19, 1920 at home in the little Swedish town of Wausa, Nebraska, to Ted O. Larson and Alveda C (Johnson) Larson. He was raised on a farm with his brothers Robert and Roger and his sister Marilyn. He attended grade school and high school in Wausa. Shortly thereafter the family moved to Dakota City, Nebraska near Sioux City, Iowa.

Paul Worked as a farm hand for a couple of years and when World Wall II broke out he enlisted in the Air Corps with his brother Bob. He was chosen to be an instructor in Radio Theory and never made it overseas. He spent the entire war at Truax Field in Wisconsin and Scott Field in Illinois.

He married Dorothy Baker in 1942 and they had three daughters together, Linda, Kathryn and Carole. In 1953 the lure of prosperity in California beckoned and they decided to move.

Paul worked for General Motors and then North American Rockwell. He was a technical writer and worked on many aerospace projects including the Apollo Space Program. After Paul and Dorothy divorced he met Nancy Childers at a square dancing event and they began to spend time together.

Upon retirement from Rockwell, he moved to Spokane, Washington to live with his daughter Carole and her family. He missed Nancy and returned to California. They were married in 1982. He worked at Cooper Vision until Nancy could retire.

They moved to Anza, California where they had a lovely home and acreage. Paul loved Anza because he was a farmer at heart. He soon turned his land into a small apple farm that also included vegetables, trees and flowers. He was able to sell most of his apples. He built a wonderful shed where he turned the rest of the crop into apple juice. He was a great carpenter and built a beautiful deck to enjoy the vista. Paul was well known in the Anza community because of his service and interest in others. He was the treasurer at Anza Baptist Church for many years. He loved going to church his whole life and always served in some capacity. He belonged to a group known as the Cool Cats which did volunteer work for the local elementary school. It was gratifying helping children learn to read. He also belonged to the local genealogical society, railroad club, American Legion and others.

Retirement also gave him time to pursue his interest in genealogy. He spent many hours researching his family tree. In 1998 at age 78 he went to Sweden, his ancestral homeland, with his daughter Linda and grandson Todd. A dream come true.

In 2004 his wife Nancy died. Then four months later his daughter Kathy died from pancreatic cancer. It was a difficult loss. He moved to Murrieta to be closer to his daughter Linda and her adult sons. He spent his final years at Brookdale Assisted Living in Murrieta. Paul acclimated well to assisted living because he believed happiness is a choice

Paul had a hunger for knowledge and loved a good story. He was a voracious reader and kept a log of the books he read for the last three decades. He also kept journals, as his mother did, and made an entry nearly every day for more than 35 years.

Paul was a Christian first. He attended church regularly. He not only read his bible, he studied it. He taught his children to pray and say grace at a young age. He felt blessed and was always grateful.

Paul earned his private pilot's license when he was 28. He loved flying and recently told his daughters that if he had his life to do over he would have become a commercial airline pilot.

When asked what was most important to him, he said his Faith, Family, and Country. He lived a simple life but a very rich life. He loved well and he was well loved.

Paul's Family: Daughters; Linda Dalton, Kathryn Padgalskas, deceased, (Keith Padgalskas, deceased),

Carole Chambers (Lee Chambers)

Grandchildren; Todd Dalton (Heather), Ryan Dalton (Christina), Nicholas Padgalskas (Theta), David Padgalskas, Sean Chambers (Tara), Kristie Chambers Talbott (Nate).

Great Grandchildren; Gracie Lynn Dalton, Harper Elle Dalton, Daphne Todd Dalton, Sophia Laura Dalton, Ashton Allen Dalton, Alexandra Marie Chambers, Jackson Michael Chambers, Jade Kathryn Talbott

The family would like to thank Brookdale Assisted Living Community in Murrieta for the wonderful care they gave to our beloved father and grandfather.

In Lieu of flowers, a voluntary donation can be made to:

Heifer International, P.O. Box 8058, Little Rock, AR 72203-8058 (1-888-5-HUNGER)

Wounded Warriors Project, 4899 Belfort Rd., Jacksonville, FL 32256 (506-12-2487)