Larry Kent Larsen
Larry Kent Larsen, 74, of Peabody was born on June 19, 1950 to Don and Jacquie Larsen in Marion, KS. Larry lost his life on May 6 after a brave 2 day fight as a result of a tragic accident.
Larry lived his early years in rural Peabody then moved to Livermore, CA with his parents and siblings. When he turned 15, he proudly rode the train alone back to Kansas to help his grandfather farm eveiy summer. He graduated from Livermore High School and from there enlisted in the United States Air Force where he proudly served in Vietnam and Guam.
He married Susan Yung on his return and to this union Krissy and Becky were born. Eventually Larry moved back to Kansas with his family of four to run the Larsen farm. Larry and Susan later divorced.
In 1992, Larry married the love of his life, Karen Davis in Council Grove, KS. During this time Lucas, Kiefer, Brianna and Xavier arrived one-by-one to make him a proud daddy again. All of his children were his pride and joy. That joy and pride grew a little more every time a grandchild was bom.
Larry found his true calling in life when he discovered EMS. Larry has served in Sedgwick County and Marion County as a paramedic. He was always told how comforting it was to have a local person show up “on the worst day of my life”. One of his favorite things to jokingly say was “Hon, I think our home phone number is 911”. He lived to serve his community and proudly did so for over 38 years. During this time, the most thrilling part of his career was becoming a flight paramedic for Life Team. He was also an avid instructor of various medical courses for the last 20 years.
After retiring, piddling around the farm just wasn’t good enough. He found he had a niche for helping troubled youth and began working for Emberhope in Newton, KS.
Larry was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents; Louis and Grace Larsen, Emory and Hazel Hawbecker, his beloved aunts and uncles; Maurine Sloan Graham, Owen and Phyllis Wingfield, brother-in-law, Darrell Sweet.
Larry is survived by his wife Karen Larsen, children; Krissy (Chris) Lovett, Haysville, KS, Becky (Mickey) Tibbetts, Hillsboro, KS, Lucas (Mackenzie) Larsen, Peabody, KS, Kiefer (Alanis) Larsen, Peabody, KS, Brianna (Triston) Bartling, Peabody, KS, Xavier (Carlee) Jabary, Kansas City, MO; grandchildren; great-grandchildren; a sister and brother, and many more.
Services will be Friday, May 16, at 1 p.m. at the Peabody United Methodist Church. The family will gather with friends in the basement following the services. A private burial will take place at a later date.
Memorial will be the Larry Larsen Memorial Fund with designation at a later date in care of Jost Funeral Home P.O. Box 266 Hillsboro, KS 67063. Online condolences at www. jostfuneralhome .com