Earl Larson

Earl Larson age 81 of Fredericksburg, IA, died Saturday, February 26, 2022, at Linn Haven Rehab & Healthcare in New Hampton, IA. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Hugeback - Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory in Fredericksburg is entrusted with arrangements. Earl Larson was born on Nov. 3, 1940, to Arthur and Edna (Pierce) Larson in New Hampton, and he grew up with his four brothers and four sisters in Lawler and New Hampton. He attended New Hampton High School before enlisting in the U.S. Navy, where he served as a sonar operator on the USS Dogfish, a submarine based out of New London, Connecticut, that spent months at a time traveling underwater in seas ranging from the Arctic to the Caribbean to the Mediterranean. While serving his country, he met a beautiful young woman in Connecticut named Beverly Staplins, and the two began dating and fell in love — marrying on May 23, 1959, in East Hampton, Connecticut. The young couple had two sons — Rob and Mike — while Earl was still in the Navy, and after his honorable discharge, the Larsons settled in Iowa, where they welcomed two more sons, Eric and John. The Larson boys had a father who taught them the value of hard work because Earl never shied away from a day of honest labor. He owned Larson’s Shoe Service, a shoe-repair shop on Fredericksburg’s Main Street, for 45 years. He also drove buses for Fredericksburg schools and worked for the city in its street and sewer departments. He was an outstanding shoe cobbler in an era when we didn’t throw shoes away but instead, we took them to guys like Earl who fixed them up so they were dang near like new. Earl loved horses, and a perfect day for him was taking a trail ride, and his sons also remember well the fun-filled days they had with their dad when they went fishing and hunting. He also had a funny, quirky sense of humor, one that he flashed often. He was a man of many talents; he could literally fix anything. He could wire a house and build anything and everything. As one of his sons put it, he could “Macyver anything.” Earl was an active member of his community. He was a member of the Fredericksburg Lions Club, the city’s Chamber of Commerce, and the local AMVETS post. This man who served his country so well, who loved his wife and family for many years, who showed us a work ethic we should all emulate, and who taught us the value of enjoying the “little things” will be dearly missed by all those who knew and loved him. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him. Earl is survived by his four sons, Robert of Pueblo, Colorado, Michael (Deb) of Fredericksburg, Eric (Jennifer) of West Union, and John of Ionia; 16 grandchildren; and 26 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife of more than 55 years, Beverly, in 2014; and his eight siblings.