Richard Larsen

Richard Paul Larsen, 68, returned to Heavenly Father on Tuesday, May 6, 2015 in his West Valley City home following a long illness.
He was born October 3, 1946 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Edward Lewis Larsen and Martina VanPaddenburg. He graduated from East High School in Salt Lake City. He married the love of his life, Norma Jean Rogers, on June 1, 1973 in the Salt Lake Temple.
He worked as an assembler at Hercules (ATK) and as a maintenance worker at Kennecott Copper Mine. He also did building maintenance at the Triad Center in Salt Lake City. He then took classes and obtained his boiler license and was HVAC certified. He worked the remainder of his career as a HVAC technician employed by Intermountain Health Care working at LDS Hospital and finishing at Cottonwood Hospital.
Richard loved photography. He owned his own business and had a dark room in his home. He passed his love of photography to his sons and in turn they all won several blue ribbons at the Utah State Fair.
He loved being a father and took his sons, Mark and Bryan, on many camping and fishing trips. His sons recall their dad’s ability to fix anything from the car, house, or any other problem that arose. They loved that their dad always put family first.
He loved woodworking. He worked on various projects, including wooden lamps, headboards, wind spinners, and even wooden ties with amazing detail. He also enjoyed gardening, which he inherited from his mother. The Larsen family routinely did yard work together on Saturdays in the summer and were treated with tacos for a job well done.
Richard loved making model airplanes. He took Mark and Bryan to the point of the mountain to fly the planes on the weekends. They recall their dad putting a camera in the plane and taking pictures during the flight. He was a hard worker and encouraged his sons to be also.
He was active in the LDS church and was honored to serve in many callings; such as Scout Master, Elder’s Quorum President, Home Teacher, and Sunday School Teacher. He was a talented musician and could play several instruments. He enjoyed playing in the marching band in high school. He was also a member of the choir.
In 2006, he finally received a liver transplant after a long battle with liver disease. He was blessed with nine extra years of life because of the generous donor. Richard never gave up and fought right to the end.
Richard is survived by his wife, Norma Jean Larsen; his sons, Mark (Laurie) Larsen and Bryan (Rustie) Larsen; eight grandchildren; his brother Tom (Lael) Larsen and his sister Nancy (Ben) Davis. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Pat.
Larsen family expresses sincere thanks to Intermountain Liver Transplant Team and Intermountain Hospice.
Viewing will be held on Sunday, May 10, 2015 from 6 to 8 pm at Redwood Memorial Mortuary, 6500 S Redwood Rd. Funeral services will be held Monday, May 11, 2015 at 11 am in the Jordan North 5th Ward Chapel, 3836 W 4100 S, West Valley City. A viewing will be held at the church one hour prior to services. Interment will be at the Redwood Memorial Cemetery.