DeLane Larsen

DeLane Larsen was born February, 11, 1945, in Fort Dodge, Iowa, to Elvira Hundertmark and Leroy Larsen. He was the youngest in a family of rambunctious boys. He died April 23, 2023, at the Paula J. Baber Hospice Home in Fort Dodge.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 26^th at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Humboldt. Visitation will be after 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the church.  Burial will be in Union Cemetery, Humboldt.  The Mason-Lindhart Funeral & Cremation Service of Humboldt is in charge of the arrangements.   www.masonlindhart.com 

DeLane graduated in 1964 from Gilmore City Bradgate High School. After basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in southern Missouri, the Army sent him to Germany. Army orders had him going to Vietnam. However, they were changed and he shipped out to Germany where he served as a cook for two years. 

While in Europe, he found relatives in Denmark, the country from where his grandfather immigrated.  Upon his return to the States, he went back to the job he had in high school moving buildings for Vote House Moving. In 1973, he started work at Crestpack now known as Liguria Foods in Humboldt. He retired after 39 years.

DeLane met Patricia Baker on a blind date through mutual friends. They married January 24, 1970, in  Rolfe, Iowa. In 1971, Randy was born. William (Bill) followed in 1973.  They moved from Rolfe to Humboldt. DeLane gutted the house they purchased on Taft Street and remodeled it. He tore down a barn and salvaged the wood to build the garage. He could do plumbing, electric, woodworking and was also mechanically inclined.  A homebody, to all of our surprise he agreed to accompany his grandson, Tate Larsen, to scout camp at Mitigwa in Boone, Iowa, and on a trip out West on Tate’s quest to visit all the U.S. Capitols. At scout camp the temperatures were 100 plus and the ground hard in the tent, but DeLane thought the worst part of the experience was Tate’s stinky feet.  Tate did fulfill his Grandpa’s wishes by attaining the rank of Eagle Scout like both Randy and Bill. DeLane paid him $5 per badge earned.   Some of DeLane’s favorites included the following: Doing activities with Pat like gardening, searching for asparagus in rural ditches, canning and cutting out the quilt blocks for her quilts, meat and potatoes and ketchup, bags of Heath bars, watching the stock market and giving a box of rocks to Tate for a Christmas present.

Survivors include his wife Pat of Humboldt, his son Randy (Leslie Shipp) and grandson Tate William of Grimes, Iowa and several nieces and nephews.  He was preceded in death by his son Bill, twin infant boys, his parents and brothers Roy Lee and Gaylen.