Curtis Laverne Larsen

Curtis LaVerne Larsen, 77, the youngest of four children, was born in the Illinois prairie community of Wedron on August 7, 1932, to Ernest J. and Nellie Beatrice (Stangeland) Larsen. He died on October 24, 2009, from lung cancer. Visitation will from 12-2 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, 2009 at the Osborne-Nelson Funeral Home in Seneca. Burial will be in Stavanger Cemetery. A memorial service is planned for Curt at Ascension Lutheran Church, 3617 S.E. 29th St., Del City, Oklahoma, on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. Curt retired as a Master Sergeant from the United States Air Force at Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City, Oklahoma, in 1972. While at Tinker, he was assigned to the Headquarters Southern Communications Area, where he served as a member of the USAF Air Traffic Control Analysis Team. He was an air traffic controller for most of his twenty years of service, in foreign and domestic arenas, in war and in peace. He was a proud veteran of the Korean War, and, in addition to the bases in Korea (Kunsan Air Base) and Oklahoma at which he was posted, he also served during his career in Japan (1st Mobile Communications Group, Johnson Air Base), the Philippines (1st Mobile Communications Group, Clark Air Base), Guam (Anderson AFB), Biloxi, Mississippi (Keesler AFB), San Antonio, Texas (Randolph AFB), Denver, Colorado (Lowry AFB), Phoenix, Arizona (Luke AFB), Sacramento, California (Mather AFB) and Novato, California (Hamilton AFB). After retiring, he became a realtor with Carousel Realty in Del City, eventually becoming a broker and starting his own real estate company, Trend Realty, in Moore, Oklahoma. Curt's reach always exceeded his grasp. He never lost his childhood sense of wonder about the possibilities of creating beauty and the hope of a better tomorrow. He embraced life with the enthusiasm of a puppy running through a sprinkler on a hot summer day and the finesse of a trapeze artist, balancing his many simultaneous interests and projects. There just never were enough hours in the day for Curt to accomplish all the things he wanted to do, and he was always especially happy when immersed in a busy carpentry, stained glass or gardening project. His legacy to his loved ones, besides all the beautiful works of arts he created, is his unwavering quest for perfection in any pursuit that could be traced back to him. His good name was his most precious possession, and his handshake was his bond. He was very proud to have been descended from the solid, honest Norwegian immigrants who came to the Illinois prairie in the nineteenth century with nothing but hard work and the hope for a better life to sustain them. Their values were his and continued to be so until his last breath. May the earth rest lightly upon you, dear father, grandfather, brother, friend, and patriot. Curt is survived by his two children, Kimber Wolfe of Palmer, Alaska, and Jay Curtis Larsen of Del City, Oklahoma; as well as his grandchildren, Benjamin Curtis Wolfe of Nipomo, CA; Elias Wolfe and wife Nikki Jo of Seeley Lake, MT; Erin Wolfe of Ogden, UT; and Ashley Larsen of Del City, OK. He also leaves behind two great-granddaughters, Sydney and Sienna Wolfe of Seeley Lake, MT, a brother, Earl (Maxine) Larsen of Seneca, IL, and a sister, Betty (Wesley) Tendall of Seneca, IL. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Geraldine, and his sister, Marjorie Sand. Memorials may be directed to American Cancer Society.