Remembering Grandpa John Larson

My paternal grandfather, John Larson, passed away a year ago on February 25, 2015. I didn’t say much at the time because it was a really stressful, busy, and emotional week for me. And so on the one year anniversary of my grandpa returning to Heavenly Father I would like to talk about him. As a little girl I loved him like one loves a grandfather, and as an adult I love and appreciate him in a different way.

John was first generation born in the United States of America. His parents converted to the LDS Church in Sweden and came to Salt Lake City, Utah to join the rest of the Saints, where they met each other and eventually were married. So the gospel played a huge part in John’s life (and thus mine as well) as it is why his parents came here.

John grew up during the Great Depression, so living a frugal lifestyle was very important to him. I remember one time he got a new walker that had a seat for him to sit on if he needed rest. My dad asked him how much it cost and my grandpa responded, “Too much!” My dad asked again how much and grandpa said $60; my dad laughed and said, “Dad, that’s a great deal!”

During World War II John joined the Navy; but instead of being sent overseas, the Navy sent him to the University of Michigan to major in Naval Architecture. Like the gospel of Jesus Christ, this also played a huge part in John’s life as he would not have gone to college if the Navy had not sent him there. While there John also ran for their Track and Field team and lettered for the year 1945-46, his name is up on their Wall of Fame.

John married his wife, Carol in the St. George, Utah temple. He was 29 years old and she was 18. (I love using them as an example that age is just a number when you are in love; and it made the fact that Gerson is 6 years older than me not so weird.) My grandma told me that if the car had not been moving when she learned that man she was on a date with was 29 years old, she would have gotten out and walked away. We are all so grateful that she stayed in the car!

John and Carol have 12 children: Susie, Carl, Nancy, Selma, Glenn (my dad), Anna, Cynthia, John, Doug, Julie, Vickie, and Mark. They currently have 39 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren, and one more great-grandchild on the way. My grandpa loved each and every child, grandchild, and in-law. He made it to practically every baptism, ordination, wedding, blessing, game, performance, and graduation. Grandma and Grandpa came to every end-of-the-year dance concert of mine and also made it to several competitions. My aunt Susie said that I-15 should be renamed the John and Carol Larson Memorial Highway. Even with grandpa gone, my grandma still makes the trip to wherever we are when something important is happening. Towards the end of Grandpa’s life I would get worried when they would travel to one of my events. For my baby shower, Benjamin’s blessing, and his first birthday party I told my dad to tell his parents that they are invited, but I don’t want them to feel obligated to come. I would have felt awful if something had happened while they were traveling to one of my events. My dad said, “Chelsey, my dad would rather die than miss coming to this.” At his funeral my aunt Susie said, “Dad wanted to live, he didn’t just want to be alive.”

Oh, how my grandma helped him live! She helped him with everything and drove him everywhere. The love and care between those two is something all couples should strive for. Grandpa was so cute towards Grandma. When he was looking for her he wouldn’t say, “Do you know where your grandma is?” He would say, “Has anyone seen my wife?” (And sometimes he would say, “wifey”.) The way he emphasized the word wife, you could tell he truly adored her. Just thinking about it makes my heart flutter.

The love he felt for his kids and grandkids was just as wonderful. He enjoyed any activity that involved either listening to his children talk or watching his grandchildren play. There is a small hill in the backyard of my grandparents’ house where we would put a slip-n-slide on during the summer. Grandpa would sit at the top of the hill and hold the hose over the slip-n-slide and watch us kids slide down over and over again.

He took pictures with an old camera and developed the film into slides – real slides on a reel, not a computer slideshow. That was one of the best activities at family reunions, slide night. He had pictures from the beginning of his marriage all the way to the present day. So one reel would be my dad and his siblings as little kids, and another would be the cousins and our family adventures; including all of our games, performances, graduations, etc.

Whenever it was the end of a visit and we were saying goodbye, Grandpa would pat me on the back while he was hugging me and say, “You’re a good girl.” One time when Grandma and Grandpa were visiting, Gerson came over and met everyone for the first time (we were just starting to see each other); that night Gerson kissed me goodbye on the cheek, I told Grandpa and he said, “Oh, I’m not sure that I like the sound of that.”

Benjamin was 6 weeks old the first time Grandma and Grandpa got to meet him. The moment Benjamin was placed in Grandpa’s arms, he smiled at him! Benjamin was just barely starting to smile and hadn’t smiled at a lot of people yet, so that was very special. Then when Benjamin was almost 3 months old we took a trip to California to visit Gerson’s family. (Whenever we go to California we always stop in St. George to visit Grandma and Grandpa and spend the night.) That morning during breakfast, Benjamin sat in Grandpa’s arms while we ate and visited, and he just smiled the whole time at his Great-Papa. As Benjamin got older, he wasn’t interested in hugging Grandpa or sitting on his lap; but he does know who he is. When we look at pictures Benjamin will point to him and say, “Papa.”

Grandma and Grandpa spent New Year’s Eve 2014 with us. New Year’s day 2015 I found out I was pregnant with Luna. Along with my parents, Grandma and Grandpa were the first people that we told. I’m glad that we decided to tell them right away, because that was the last time that I saw Grandpa before he passed away. It was the last conversation that I had with him while he was still coherent. At the time I didn’t think anything of it, but now it is a very special memory that I will hold onto forever. Grandpa loved his grandchildren so much. I know that was wonderful news for him to hear, and even though he didn’t get to meet Luna here on earth, I know that he loves her.

When it became evident that Grandpa was dying, my dad and all of his siblings were able to rush down to St. George to say goodbye to their father; and many of my cousins were able to go as well. I was unable to go because I was in my last semester of college, which was student teaching. I could have taken the time off, but the make-up work I would have had to do right before graduation would have been extremely stressful. So I stayed home, and the cried the whole week my parents were down there. While my parents were down there my dad called me and put me on speaker phone, and my mom called my brother Michael and put him on speaker phone and we all said goodbye to Grandpa together. I told Grandpa how much I loved him, how much I was going to miss him. I told him that I appreciated him coming to all of my events, and I reminded him that I was pregnant with his 8^th great-grandchild, that I had told him on New Year’s day, and how special that memory was now. My dad said that Grandpa wasn’t conscious at the time, but we still believe he heard our goodbyes in his own way.

My Grandpa, John Larson, was one of the greatest men I ever knew. He was an amazing example of a man of faith, a hard working man, and a family man. The memories I have shared barely skim the surface of who Grandpa was. As a granddaughter, I only witnessed the end of his life; but I know that he lived a good one. I love him, I miss him, and I look forward to one day seeing him again.