Dorothy Larson's Obituary
Dorothy Larson, aged 96, went home to be with her beloved lord and savior and the love of her earthly life Arthur Larson on Thursday 11/12/2020. She is now free of the oxygen tank that she hated and is probably running around heaven roller skating and doing handstands. She was an excellent roller skater and enjoyed whizzing around the track as fast as she could, doing fancy moves along the way. Dorothy was born in Muskegon, Michigan, on May 2, 1924, the daughter of Oscar and Alma Olson. She grew up along with her sister, Millie, and three brothers, Peter, Harry and John Martin, during the depression and was fortunate to have had family members that had jobs on a farm. They never went hungry, although as she said often, she sure had a hard time even looking at an egg for many years later! She graduated from high school in 1942 just as WWII was really getting started. Dorothy wanted to go to college but as part of the greatest generation she did what had to be done. She was one of the "Rosie the Riveters", working at a piston ring factory that manufactured parts for aircraft. After the war she was walking out of work one day and there was a guy looking back at her. He and his mother were picking up his dad from work. He told his mom "You see that girl? I'm going to marry her.” They were married July 30, 1948 and had a very happy life together until his death in 1993. In the course of time two children, Patricia and Arthur were born. Her family meant everything to her and there was nothing she wouldn't do for family. She had a true servant's heart and always looked to the welfare of others before her own. Even in her nineties she would assist residents of her apartment complex who needed assistance at mealtime. She adored her grandchildren and now her great grandchildren. Her walls and end tables are covered with pictures of family and she was so proud of each and every one of them. She kept track of all their accomplishments along with the everyday happenings that make up life. On Sunday, you could always find her in the third row on the left side at agape Christian church along with her family. She was a real prayer warrior and had a prayer list that she went through every day for her family, for the country and for the world. She wore out several bibles during her earthly journey and read her bible every day. She was generous with her money and gave to many charities over the years. A special moment for her this year was a surprise birthday parade attended by family and her church family at a local park. She lived a long and full life and was deeply loved and cherished by family and friends. She will be greatly missed by her daughter, Patricia Ann (Robert) Cairns of Kalamazoo; son, Arthur (Sherry) Larson of Portage; grandchildren, Matthew (Laura) Larson of Kentucky, Rachel (Dwaine) Joanknecht of Australia, Sarah (Andrew) Hallberg of Atlanta, Marc (Brittany) Larson of Kalamazoo, Robert Cairns of Kalamazoo, and 6 very energetic great-grandsons, Chase, Keenan, Micah, Dylan, Asher and Zachary. Dorothy's burial will take place on Friday, November 20, 2020 at 1:00 PM at Restlawn Cemetery in Muskegon, MI. Due to the current health concerns a memorial service will not be taking place. In lieu of flowers and to show your love for Dorothy please send memorial contributions to the agape food pantry, Agape Christian Church, 609 Cherokee, Kalamazoo, MI 49006. [https://agapecc.com/give]
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