Leonard Larsen

Leonard Alfred Larsen

September 22, 1934 ~ January 18, 2015

Leonard Alfred Larsen was born on September 22, 1934 in Durango, Colorado. He is the son of Leonard Alfred Larsen and Nellie Orrilla Arter.

Leonard lived in several states in the U.S. and in Cardston, Alberta, Canada. He graduated from Jamaica High School in Jamaica, Queens, New York in 1953. In 1954 he served a full time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Central States Mission.

Leonard attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah and met the most beautiful woman in the world. On August 14, 1959, Leonard married Carol Joyce Finlayson, the love of his life, and gained not only a wife, but a sister and six brothers as well.

Leonard graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Zoology with a minor in chemistry. He completed an internship for Medical Technology at Utah Valley Hospital for one year and afterward accepted a position as Laboratory Manager at Billings Deaconess Hospital in Billings, Montana.

While living in Billings, Leonard was elected and served two terms as Yellowstone County Corner. He loved working in the scouting program as the Venturer Post Advisor and taught the boys many fun and useful skills like; how to build snow caves and a covered canoe, which they used to float the Missouri River.

As an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Leonard served faithfully in many church callings. He served as Branch President of the Lamanite Branch on the Crow Indian Reservation. It was during this time that a two year old Indian boy named Raymond was adopted by Leonard and Carol and became brother to their four children. Leonard also served on the LDS Mission Board and worked closely with the Mission Presidency and many missionaries.

As a result of his experience as County Corner, working with law enforcement officers, Leonard decided to continue his education and moved his family to California so he could earn a Master’s Degree in Criminalistics at California State University, Los Angeles. During the next five years of schooling, Leonard worked at Bio-Science Laboratories.

One of Leonard’s professors, who worked on the Howard Hughes will forgery case, told Leonard about a crime lab that was being built in Utah. This was an opportunity to move closer to family, so Leonard, Carol and family moved to Clinton, Utah. The job at the Crime Lab didn’t come to fruition, but a job at Davis North Medical Center opened and after three months of working as a bench tech, Leonard was promoted to Laboratory Manager. He also served on the Weber State College Medical Technology advisory board.

While living in Clinton, Leonard served 24 years with the Special Needs Mutual. It was one of his most rewarding experiences. He loved it! After retiring from his work at Davis North Hospital as Medical Laboratory Director, Leonard tried his hand at being the owner of a carnival, a real estate agent, a contract roofer, an agricultural products supplier and was a board member of the Davis County Farm Bureau.

Leonard was very knowledgeable about many aspects of this beautiful and amazing world. He loved to read the National Geographic Magazine and was a “Geo Genius”. He loved to learn. As a young man, Leonard would read the dictionary and because of the word “dactylology”, he learned sign language. While in high school he learned Latin. As an adult he purchased recorded lessons to learn Spanish and most recently, German. Leonard was an avid gardener. He loved animals and they trusted him. He loved children, and they were drawn to him. He loved his family and they adored him.

Leonard is survived by his loving wife, Carol; three daughters, Joyce Little, Anne Clark and Linda Bascom; 25 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren; and four siblings, Lora Lee Holt, Jay Larsen, Orilla Van Orman, Eric Larsen, and John T. Larsen. He was preceded in death by his parents, one sister, one brother, and two sons, Terry and Raymond.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 24th at Lindquist’s Roy Mortuary, 3333 West 5600 South. The family will meet with friends Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the mortuary.