Robert C. Larson, 81

Robert Larson died June 1, 2012, in his sleep at his home in Tacoma, Wash.

He was born on Feb. 26, 1931, in Breckenridge, Minn., to Harvey and Gladys Larson.

They moved to Charlo in 1935, then to Butte in 1941, Great Falls in 1944, and finally to Kalispell in 1946 where he graduated from high school in 1949.

Robert spent most of his summers as a child hiking, riding horses and helping out on their dairy farms, bottling milk and feeding the animals.

Robert served in the U.S. Army, mainly in Europe from 1949 to 1953, and was honorably discharged on Sept. 23, 1953.

As a young adult, Robert worked at a local bakery and lumber mills until moving to Tacoma in the ‘70s. Once in Washington, he worked as a maintenance manager for several different apartment complexes in the Lakewood area until he started his career at the Bremerton shipyards as a gate guard and then a rigger. He retired from the shipyards in the early ‘90s.

His interests included his three daughters and their children, reading, the horses, sports, animals and world events.

Robert is survived by his three daughters, Cynthia Freese, Tammi Wedertz and Dawn Ward; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild; sister, Blanche Studer, of Bonners Ferry, Idaho; and brother, Johnny Larson, of Missoula.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Harvey and Gladys Larson; brothers, Harvey Larson Jr., Byron Larson and Kermit Larson; and sister, Arlene Knott.

Robert was an extremely hard worker with high morals. He was educated, generous, motivating, caring and a loving father and friend.