David T. Larson

“Work and work harder, that’s Dave Larson’s way, he has often said, “Work before play.”

That phrase is alongside the Milford Township High School yearbook senior photo of David T. Larson of Princeton, Illinois, who passed away on August 3, 2021.    

Dad grew up on a farm, but he was never a farmer.  But like a farmer, his life centered around growth:  learning, studying, analyzing (and then analyzing some more), and then doing, documenting the results of his efforts in a notebook or ledger.  Hard work was at the core of his character, but the ability to personally grow was what enabled the profound impact he had on his family, his church and his career.

Growing up a son of a sharecropper in rural Illinois, he learned that nearly everything had value and waste was not an option.  Their farmhouse had no running water or electricity, until the day he helped his father install it themselves. This experience and his own intellect enabled a remarkable self-reliance; his tool set was all he needed to create something from scratch or fix something broken.

His observant eye could identify any bird, tree, or aircraft in the sky.  During walks or runs, he would constantly re-direct your sight to a beautiful red bud tree or a soaring great egret.  This reflected a trait he embodied throughout his life:  focusing his mind on the most positive part of any issue or outcome.  Dad’s (beer) glass was never half full or half empty; it was, as he often said, “..,about the best way that could have turned out...”.

He squeezed every minute out of every day like he squeezed every mile out of every pair of running shoes.  Lots and lots of running shoes:  54,181 miles and 100 races (including 17 marathons), where he consistently finished at the top of his age group.  An interest in biking yielded 48,140 miles on two bikes.  After hanging up his running and biking shoes at the age of 80, he faithfully logged his walking miles (9,612).

As a long and dedicated member of the First Presbyterian Church in Princeton, Dad took on and learned nearly every role possible (except preacher), from Treasurer to Groundskeeper to Sunday School teacher.  His professional growth was evident over a 30-year career at Pioneer Hi-Bred International, starting as a research agronomist and eventually serving as President of the Illinois-Wisconsin division. 

Dad was born in Milford, Illinois on October 9, 1934, of the late Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Larson, graduated valedictorian from Milford Township High School, and received his Undergraduate and Master’s degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  While living in Belleville, IL and working as a teacher, he met his wife of 60 years, June, who precedes him in death.  He is survived by four children: Diana Larson of Scottsdale, AZ; David P. Larson and his wife Marcy of Chicago, IL; Elena Davis (née Larson) and her husband Joseph of Camarillo, CA; and Daniel Larson and his wife Suzanne of Doylestown, PA.  He is also survived by 6 grandchildren:  Ben, Dayna, Mikaela, Trevor, Camille, and Paige.

A visitation will be held at the First Presbyterian Church (320 Park Ave E) in Princeton at noon on Wednesday, August 11, followed by a service at 1:00pm.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Dave’s honor to the First Presbyterian Church of Princeton or The National Brain Tumor Society (https://braintumor.org/).