Charles "Curt" Larsen

Charles Curtis “Curt” Larsen was born in September 1941, in Stambaugh, Michigan to Reuben Dee Larsen and Edith Norris Jones. Curt passed away December 5, 2024, at the age of 83, in Sandy, Utah following a long battle with Multiple Sclerosis. 

Curt’s parents moved to Michigan at the start of World War II where his father went to work in the iron mines to aid in the war effort. After World War II, they returned to their home State of Utah and settled for a time in Roosevelt before moving to Bountiful. Near the end of his sixth-grade year, Curt’s father moved the family to Cedar City. Curt attended junior high school at Cedar Junior High. He was active in 4-H, a shooting and marksmanship club (where he won several marksmanship awards), and Boy Scouts. He attained the rank of Star Scout but never earned his Eagle Scout award due to later moving to Nevada where there was no active troop in his area. He always regretted not earning his Eagle award, which was one reason he pushed his sons very hard to do so later. 

The day after finishing jr. high school, Curt’s father moved the family again, this time to Ruth, (White Pine County) Nevada. After about a year in Ruth, they moved a short distance to East Ely, Nevada. Curt attended and graduated in 1959 from White Pine High School where he played on the basketball team his sophomore and junior years. 

After high school, Curt worked a short time for the U.S. Forest Service and the BLM before beginning his college studies at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. After two years at BYU, he accepted a call to serve a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the East Central States Mission. He spent his mission serving in Tennessee and West Virginia. 

After his mission, Curt returned to Ely, Nevada. On the day he spoke in church to report on his mission, he noticed a beautiful young woman who played a piano solo as part of the service. This young woman would come back into his life later. With the war in Vietnam heating up and several months remaining before he could return to school at BYU, Curt decided to join the Army National Guard rather than entering the military draft. He attended basic training at Fort Ord, California, and MOS School as a radio mechanic at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he graduated at the top of his class. After his military training, Curt returned to Nevada and worked for Kennecott for several months before returning to school at BYU. During the summer of 1966, Curt went home to Ely to work. During this time, he was assigned to be a Church Home Teacher to the Simon Family. The Simon’s oldest daughter, Betty, was the same beautiful young woman who had played the piano at his mission homecoming a few years before. Curt asked Betty out and they dated that summer. At the end of the summer, Curt returned to BYU and Betty enrolled at Stevens-Henager College in Salt Lake City. They continued to date during the school year and were engaged the following summer. Curt and Betty were married in 1968, in East Ely, Nevada. They were married on a Friday and had to be back in Provo the following Monday so Curt could register for spring classes at BYU. Curt always regretted not being able to take Betty on a nice honeymoon. They made their first home in Salt Lake City while Betty finished school there, and Curt commuted to Provo during the week to finish his degree. 

After graduating from BYU, Curt took a teaching position with Granite School District in Salt Lake, teaching electronics in the industrial arts program. Curt’s first teaching position was at Granite High School. Three years later he received an honorable discharge from the Army National Guard, having attained the rank of E5 (Sergeant). In 1981, Curt transferred to the new Taylorsville High School where he remained until his retirement. Curt enjoyed his teaching career and helping his students learn and succeed. It seemed he couldn’t go anywhere without running into a former student! During his career he was given an Outstanding Teacher award at Granite High, which meant a lot to him because it was voted on by the students. He also received the Technology and Industry Teacher of the Year award for the State of Utah for the 1987-88 school year. He was heavily involved in the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA) and attended several national VICA conventions with his students. He later earned a mathematics teaching certificate from the University of Utah. During his last few years at Taylorsville High, he was given the opportunity to help coach track and football, which was a dream come true for him. He was very grateful to the several coaches who gave him that opportunity. 

Curt also spent 10 years as an adjunct faculty member at Salt Lake Community College, teaching electronics part time in the evenings. Early in his career, he also obtained his journeyman electricians license and worked several summers, and many other odd jobs over the years, wiring houses and helping people with electrical issues. Curt also worked part time for Poll Sound for several years repairing sound equipment. He always found ways to earn extra income to support his family, and he instilled his strong work ethic in his children, often taking his sons along on electrical jobs to help pull wire and connect outlets and switches. 

In 1975, Curt and Betty were sealed for time and eternity in the Provo LDS Temple. Curt remained a faithful member of the Church and held several callings during his life, including Sunday School President and High Priest Group Leader. However, his favorite callings were in the scouting program, especially when his sons were scouts. During his time in scouting, he completed four 50-mile backpack trips in the High Uinta’s wilderness. 

Although he suffered with the terrible disease of M.S. for a number of years, Curt never lost his faith in God, and he endured to the end. We are grateful to know he has been freed from his physical trials of mortality, and we know he has had a joyful reunion with his parents and other ancestors on the other side of the veil. 

Curt is preceded in death by his parents, Reuben and Edith Larsen. He is survived by his eternal companion, Betty Simon Larsen, and their five children, Mark (Ruth) Larsen, Kevin (Kacey) Larsen, Brett (Courtney) Larsen, Michael (Linda) Larsen, and Michelle (Adriano) Oliveira, as well as 13 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by four siblings: Ronald Larsen, Keith Larsen, Jay Larsen, and Elizabeth Riedler. We are grateful to Michelle and Adriano for helping to care for Mom and Dad for five years at their home in Oregon. We are also grateful to the staff of Cedarwood at Sandy Assisted Living and to Canyon Hospice for their kind and professional care. 

At Curt’s request, a public viewing and service will not be held. Interment will be in the West Jordan City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, we encourage donations to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, https://www.nationalmssociety.org/Donate.