Obituary of Allen Larsen

LARSEN, Allen

Aug. 8, 1934 – Oct. 25, 2018

With sadness we announce that Allen passed away at the age of  84 at  Elmview  Extendicare, with family by his side.  He was  predeceased by daughter Brenda; siblings, Sharon and Garry; parents, Thea and Sverre; parents-in-law, Art and Cora Matters; brothers and sisters-in-law,  Lloyd Matters, Don and Lorraine Neilson, Faye and Peter Friedrichsen, Orville Skjerdal, and both of brother Garry’s wives Evelyne Larsen and Evelyn Larsen.  Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 64 years, Laura; daughter Pam (Brian Sveinson); son-in-law Bryan Merritt; grandchildren Chad Merritt, Alicia Ruiz (Ernie), Jill Sveinson (Jimmy Lindsay), Katie Sveinson (Ryan Dejaegher); great-grandchildren Juliette and Lilou Lindsay and Cohen and Logan Ruiz; brother Dennis Larsen (Karen) and sister Wanda Johnson (Ken); sisters and brother-in-law, June Matters, Louvonne Skjerdal, and Fern Hillstead (Morris).  He is also remembered by his many extended family and friends for his quiet sense of humour, loyalty, and kindness.

The family thanks the staff and doctors at Elmview  Extendicare and the Seniors House Calls  program for their care and concern for Allen and his  family.  A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on November 10 at New Hope Lutheran Church, 370 McIntosh St., Regina, SK.

In lieu of flowers, donations are appreciated to the Elmview Resident and Family Support Group; Saskatchewan Branches of Heart and Stroke Foundation, Kidney Foundation, Diabetes Canada,  or a charity of your choice.

Allen was the eldest of four children and grew up on a farm near Ratcliffe, Saskatchewan. He enjoyed being a big brother to Dennis, Garry and Wanda .and being like a younger brother to his Uncle Norman who was closer to his age than his siblings.  He loved being part of a close extended family and was especially connected to his cousin Devon.  The pair along with Norman and good friend Junior Deal had many adventures just south of the Canada-US border in their later teens and early adulthood.  These made for a number of memorable stories.

Allen married Laura Matters in Weyburn on August 12, 1954.  They were 20 and 19 years of age.  They became parents to daughters, Brenda who was born in 1956 and Pam, in 1958.  They became grandparents in their early 40s – a role they both truly loved and if you ask their 4 grandchildren, it was a role in which both excelled.  They added being great-grandparents to their family achievements in their early 70s and were and are “great” in that role too.

When first married Allen and Laura lived in a trailer built by Laura’s dad, Art.  Allen began working at Coghill Electric and decided to become an electrician.  He started his electrical training while Laura was training as a psychiatric nurse.  In 1956 Allen began working with Mobil Oil and his work had the family living in Alida, Carnduff, Swift Current and Lloydminster over the years.  Allen enjoyed his work as an electrician in the oil industry and applied his knowledge outside of work too. Allen was diagnosed with heart problems at the young age of 53 and to his dismay, had to retired from Mobil as a result.   Allen and Laura moved to Regina in 1989 and Allen worked part-time doing electrical work at provincial parks and with a seniors’ handyman service.

Throughout his life, Allen loved sports.  In his younger years he loved to play baseball, curl, golf and waterski.  As his heart condition progressed  and he had to give up these pass times, he continued to watch  all of these favorites on TV along with football.  Go Riders!

Allen really enjoyed camping and travelling.  Many family vacations were spent in western Canada and the States with a beloved Ford vehicle hauling a tent trailer.  Allen appreciated history and the way people lived and worked in the past and spent hours in historical  museums, with a special interest in antique farm implements.  He proudly restored a Model T car and drove it in a parade celebrating Carnduff’s history.

Allen and Laura joined the RV camping group Good Sam after moving to Regina and made a number of great friendships.  Among other volunteer services with the group Allen delivered Meals-on-Wheels for a few years.  In Regina, Allen and Laura also started Square Dancing and “dosey-doed” their way around the dance floor with close family friends Joan and Sherman Skreden.

Allen was dedicated to family and close friends and delighted in family gatherings of any kind- especially Larsen Family Reunions.  He truly loved finding connections with people and often asked those he just met, where they were from as a way of looking for a connection.  He was a kind, loyal and generous man with a lovely sense of humour.  In spite of his many health challenges, he maintained a fairly optimistic outlook on life.  Allen made his part of the world a better place and we will miss him.  We were truly fortunate to have had him in our lives.