Lee Anthony Larsen

Leland “Lee” Anthony Larsen, 76 of Rigby, Idaho passed away suddenly on Wednesday, October 28.  Lee was born in Seattle, Washington, the son of Lloyd Jesse Larsen and Liane Mazac Larsen.

Lee grew up in Burns, Oregon where he attended school.  He continued his education at the Treasure Valley Community College and College of Southern Idaho where he had scholarships to play basketball.  At 6’6”, Lee was the tallest player on the team.

Lee spent 55 adventurous years with the love of his life and high school sweetheart, Ellen Doman Larsen. They were married in Winnemucca, Nevada in 1965. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. Together they raised six strong, independent boys. Lee was so proud of his boys, never missing a sporting event at home or away. He played H.O.R.S.E in the driveway for hours but didn’t win long against his tall boys. One year, Lee challenged the whole Stayton Oregon Ward to a basketball game…Any and All of Them vs. The Larsen Boys (him included). The Larsen Boys won!

He was devoted to his boys and capturing mementos, newspaper articles, writing meticulous letters to them while on their missions and admiring their life’s accomplishments. Lee took extra care to create detailed travel outlines, sending them to his family ahead of a trip. Recently, he and Ellen traveled to be with a sweet 8-year-old grandson on his baptism day. From buying a “dads little champ” shirt for his youngest son, to going on a special date to Black Angus after scoring big in a game, or even showing off his granny-style free throw shots…his boys loved and looked up to their dad. He set a humble example of how to “think ahead”, gently setting a course for character and identity to be built.

Lee knew the weather in each city where his children lived (often before they did), watching travel cams and sending alerts to his boys when they needed to be careful. He loved everything about the weather and would often take pictures of beautiful cloud formations and share them.

He loved nature and recognized the hand of God in all things, even details that went unseen to others. He adored long Sunday drives famously taking the scenic route where restrooms were rare; the Oregon Coast and the blackberries they picked on the way; their beautiful, tree covered lot in Sun River and enjoying golden sunsets from their dream property on Menan Butte. Lee had a knack for remembering everywhere he went in detail and loved his road trips with Ellen.

He also adored ice cream. Even right from the carton!

Lee was a published author, writing “Food Crisis Survival Manual” many years ago. His family has memories of collating, by hand, the pages of the book by walking around a table and down all the hallways to gather pages. He was an expert in the field of Emergency Preparedness, a subject he had a passion for. He inspired many others to prepare now for future events, freely giving his time and talents to help others find information and resources they needed.

Lee was High Priest in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He had served as a Bishop and loved to serve as a Home Teacher. He could talk with anyone about anything, a quality he passed down to his sons. He worked as a draftsman for North West Natural Gas Company for 39 years.  He had also been a real estate agent and broker in Salem, Oregon.  He was known for his meticulous attention to detail.

Later in life, Lee spent treasured time cuddling his grandbabies and great grandbabies in his big comfy chair. His strong arms were perfect for helping those little babies feel safe and snug, and they drifted to sleep easily on his chest, though occasionally tickled by mustached kisses. Grandpa Lee loved every minute. As those grandbabies grew, they still craved his bear hugs and still found safety and comfort in his arms.

Lee is survived by his wife Ellen Larsen of Rigby, Idaho.  Children; Trevis (Grace) Larsen of Stansbury Park, Utah, Lance (Amy) Larsen of Mapleton, Utah, Kris (Petrina) Larsen of St. George, Utah, Erik Larsen of Dallas, Texas, Justin Larsen of St. George, Utah and Clinton (Teresa) Larsen of Bluffdale, Utah.  Sisters; Linda (Kent) Gardner of Preston, Idaho; Laurel Stokes of Sedona, Arizona; Lucinda Butler of Coos Bay, Oregon and brother, Loring (Rae Jean) Larsen of Nampa, Idaho. He had twenty-five grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents.

A graveside service will be held in Lee’s honor on Monday, November 2, 2020 at 11:00 AM in the Annis Little Butte Cemetery (3812 E Menan Lorenzo Hwy, Rigby, ID).

Condolences and memories may be shared with Lee’s family at www.eckersellfuneralhome.com.