Roy J. Larsen

Roy Joseph Larsen was born February 2, 1926 to Enoch and Agnes (Brorby) Larsen in Mobridge, South Dakota. He attended three one room country schools in Campbell County, SD with his aunt as teacher seven of the eight years, and helped out on the family farm where he learned to drive the tractor and car from age nine.

Graduation from Ballard High School in Seattle WA June 1944, followed with active duty in the Army Air Force. He had transferred his senior year from Glenham, SD High School to live with his dad in Seattle who was working in defense industries. With the ending of World War II in August 1945 he was discharged two months later at the convenience of the government. In January 1946 he enrolled at Colorado A&M College (now CSU) through the GI Bill, graduating June 1950 with BS in Agronomy.

He was employed by the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) as a soil scientist from 1952 to retirement in 1984. He worked at NRCS locations in Rapid City and Martin, SD and Lamar, CO in the '50's, at Rocky Ford, Delta, and Pueblo in the 60's and early 70's and in Yuma and Akron from 1973 to 1980. In this work he and fellow workers classified and mapped soil resources county by county. The data from this work is available in each county on-line and is added to the database of the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSSsoil). He was employer-recognized for mapping one million acres of soil. This career involved a change of residence every 3 to 6 years as surveys were completed. Roy adjusted by taking part in local community activities at each location. He is the author of four published soil surveys. In 1980, transferred to Casper to assist in preparation of manuscripts for publication of completed soil surveys. The five years following retirement in Casper, WY he worked seasonally as a contract soil scientist in North Dakota and Wyoming. In succeeding summers, did the haying on the Johnstone hay ranch NW of Casper.

Roy was a member of First United Methodist Church, Casper Mountain Lions Club, the Izaak Walton League and National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE, serving a term as state president). Volunteer activities included Habitat for Humanity, MOW delivery 26 years, GED tutoring, Natrona County Library, Monday Morning Side-walkers, Master Gardeners, and had donated over 5 gallons of whole blood while living in Casper. A life member of CSU Alumni Association and the Soil & Water Conservation Society of America. He was a member of Alpha Zeta honorary agricultural fraternity, Sigma Chi social fraternity, the Izaak Walton League as well as the Casper Mountain Lions Club. He enjoyed X-country skiing, square dancing, reading and travel (British Isles, Northern, Southern, Western and East central Europe and Kenya in Africa) as well as domestic Elderhostels. In 2011 traveled on the last Honor Flight from Wyoming to visit the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC.

Preceded in death by parents, two younger brothers in childhood and a stepmother for 51 years, Agnes (Anderson) Larsen. In September 2004, he married Herty Warnholtz thus creating a congenial elder companionship. Other survivors are three younger cousins, one in MT, two in SD and one in NC.

Services with military honors will be held at Oregon Trail State Veterans Cemetery. Rev. Loren Boyce will officiate. Date and time to be announced. Memorials may be made to Casper Humane Society or to Meals on Wheels.