VERNIE F. LARSON Final Flight on March 19, 2014 |
Vernie F. "Vern" Larson, Lt. Col. USAF (Retired) 1943 - March 19, 2014
Memorial service for Mr. Vernie F. "Vern" Larson, 88, of Anniston, will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, 2014, in the Acker Chapel, of Anniston First United Methodist Church with the Reverend Peter Hawker and the Reverend Amy DeWitte officiating. The family will receive friends for one hour prior to the service at the church.
Mr.Larson passed away on March 19, 2014, at Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center. Mr. Larson was born and grew up in Stoddard, Wisconsin, and graduated from La Crosse Central High School in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
In 1943, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps, attended flight school and became a pilot. After his initial enlistment, he remained in the United States Air Force Reserves for 30 years and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. During his time in the Reserves, he served as a pilot, became a helicopter pilot, and later worked in Military Intelligence and Security Police. He opened his own restaurant, Larson's Restaurant, in Middleton, Wisconsin. He continued to own, operate, or manage several restaurants in the Madison, Wisconsin area. He was eventually transferred to Rockford, Illinois where he also managed several restaurants and later became a licensed real estate agent and broker. After 9 years in Rockford, Mr. Larson moved to Huntsville, Alabama. He was a realtor and broker in Huntsville for a short time. He moved to Anniston in 1988 and continued in the real estate business for a short time, then retired and spent more time as a pilot and flight instructor, which he had done throughout his entire career.
Mr. Larson was a member of Anniston First United Methodist Church, a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks, Lodge 189 and the American Legion, as well as a being Shriner. He is remembered for his constant sense of humor and down-to-earth common sense. He was a good musician with a natural gift for music. He played in bands in high school, at his parent's tavern, in a small combo, and later in a local orchestra. He could quickly and naturally play almost any instrument he picked up. He also had a beautiful voice for singing. He also enjoyed woodworking, a skill he learned from his father.
Mr. Larson is survived by his wife, Mary Larson, of Anniston; daughters, Janet Larson Teeple and her husband, Bill, of Fairfield, Iowa and Jeanne Larson Brooks of Greeley, Colorado; sons, Jeffrey Larson and his wife, Diana, of Middleton, Wisconsin and James Larson of Madison, Wisconsin; grandchildren, Jesse Giovale, Cassandra Larson and her husband, John Stucki, and Courtney Larson; a brother-in-law, Theodore Ikeler and his wife Barbara, of Clark, New Jersey, their two sons, Steven and David; and two nieces, Sherry Siegel of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin and Patsy Olson of Crystal Falls, Michigan.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to Anniston First United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 1789, Anniston, Alabama 36202; the Elks National Foundation, 2750 North Lakeview Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60614-2256 (www.elks.org); or to the Shriners Hospitals for Children, Office of Development 2900 Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, Fla. 33607(http://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org)
Online condolences may be made to the family at www.klbrownmemorychapel.com. K.L. Brown Memory Chapel 620 Golden Springs Road Anniston, AL 36207 (256) 231-2334
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"FREEDOM ISN'T FREE" ~SOMEONE PAYS FOR YOU AND ME~ "HELICOPTERS" - THE ONLY WAY TO FLY ~NEVER FORGOTTEN~ |
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