Dale Edward Larson

Dale Edward Larson

was born December 3,

1922, to Herman and

Edna Larson at Carpio,

North Dakota, the third of

six children. He grew up

on the family farm near

Aurelia, ND. Dale gra-

duated in 1940 from Don-

nybrook High School and

attended one year at

Minot State Teachers Col-

lege. He helped on the

family farm before being

trained as a railroad depot

agent with the Great

Northern Railroad. He

worked a variety of rail-

road positions and loca-

tions in Oregon and North

Dakota.

One job in 1943 brought

him to Tioga, ND as a re-

lief depot agent. There, he

met Betty Christensen, his

future wife. Dale was

drafted into the US Army

later that year and served

until 1945. He was sta-

tioned in Louisiana for

basic training and in Eng-

land for more specific

training before being sta-

tioned in France, Belgium,

and Germany as a depot

agent on the railroad sup-

ply lines. He rose to the

rank of Tech Sergeant in

the US Army. His Army

services and travels gave

him a new window on the

world.

During his entire mili-

tary service, he and Betty

wrote letters regularly to

each other. They were

married on September 1,

1946, following his honor-

able discharge from the

Army and his return to

ND. In January of 1947,

they put their few belong-ings in a box car and

headed to Dale’s new

depot agent position with

the Great Northern at

Pillsbury, ND. Though he

thought it would be a

short-term location, they

stayed in Pillsbury until

1974, raising their two

daughters, Marilyn and

Vicki and making many

lifelong friends. Dale

served on the Pillsbury

Public School Board of

Directors for 11 years and

it was while he lived in

Pillsbury that he experi-

mented with a variety of

sporting activities, base-

ball, fishing, bowling, and

most significantly, golf.

In the mid 1950’s he

took a home study course

to learn how to fix radios

and TVs and as a result,

he ran a very busy repair

and sales business until

1969. He was a depot

agent by day and a TV

repairman on evenings

and weekends.

From 1958 to 1965, he

planned two- and three-

week yearly camping trips

with his family, traveling

through 40 states with oc-

casional explorations in

Mexico and Canada.

Many great memories

were created by his plan-

ning and adventurous

spirit.

In 1974, Dale accepted

the Depot Agent position

in Fergus Falls, MN,

working there until his re-

tirement from the Burling-ton Northern railroad in

1982. During this period,

his six grandchildren

were born. He took great

joy in entertaining them

with his quick hands

making things disappear

and asking, “Where did it

go?” His granddaughter,

Krista, called him her

“foxy grandpa” as he was

a trickster. His five grand-

sons also called him the

“gluing grandpa” as he

could fix any of their

prized positions and toys

at his well-appointed

workbench.

The next many years

found Dale and Betty

wintering in Mesa, Arizo-

na. They enjoyed meeting

new friends, golfing, and

the pleasant weather. In

retirement, they toured

Europe and cruised Mexi-

can ports among other

trips.

In later years, Dale and

Betty enjoyed life at Mill

Street Residence and fi-

nally experiencing the ex-

cellent care at Pioneer-

Care, both in Fergus Falls.

Dale was a lifetime

member of the American

Legion and Veterans of

Foreign Wars.

On April 14, 2019 after

a short illness, he passed

away at Lake Region

Healthcare in Fergus Falls

with his daughters close

by.

Dale is survived by his

two daughters, Marilyn

Leraas (Roger Knapp) of

Alexandria MN and Vicki

Neuharth (Gary) of

Bismarck, ND; five grand-

sons, Murray Leraas

(Courtney) of Eagan, MN,

John Leraas (Melissa) of

Delano, MN, Garik Leraas

(Leslie) of Alexandria,

Thomas Neuharth of

Bismarck, and Grant

Neuharth (Emily) of Lake-

wood, CO; nine great-

grandchildren, Briauna,

Rilynn, Avery, Emersyn,

Landan, Khalan, Khering-ton, Kennedy (Lynn), and

Karsyn Leraas; sisters,

Alverda Larsen of Minot,

ND, Darlene Stephan

(Earl) of Rochester, MN,

and Ardella Johnson of

Minot; sister-in- law, Mar-

jorie Larson of Kenmare,

ND; and many nieces and

nephews.

Dale was preceded in

death by his wife of 71

years, Betty (Christensen)

Larson; his parents; his

granddaughter, Krista

Leraas; son-in-law,

Charles Leraas; his broth-

ers, Verlund Larson, Dal-

las Larson and his wife

Esther; his brothers-in-

law, Warren Larsen and

Paul Johnson; his sisters-

in-law, Dorothy Eraas and

her husband Orville and

Lois Ridgeway and her

husband Elmer.

Memorial Service:

11:00 AM Saturday, April

27, 2019, at Pioneer Care

Celebration Center,

Fergus Falls, with visita-

tion one hour prior to ser-

vices. Clergy: Reverend

David Strom.

Interment: North Dako-

ta State Veterans

Cemetery, Mandan, ND.

Arrangements by

Glende-Nilson Funeral

Home, Fergus Falls. On-

line Guestbook: Glende

Nilson.com