Halden Larson

Halden was born August 5, 1939 at Colton, Sd, the son of William and Verna Larson. From a young age, Halden accepted changes and challenges and whatever came his way. As a young boy, he moved with Dad & Mom to California and while he was there, welcomed his little brother, Jimmy, into the family. A move back to South Dakota and the arrival of two additional brothers, Don & Larry, just gave him more people to tease and love. His baby sister, Sharon, arrived during his senior year in high school, giving him the sister he always wanted to spoil, and forging a special bond with her that lasted throughout his lifetime. However, this member of the ?class of ?57? had his own dreams and soon left the nest to attend the School of Mines in the Black Hills, graduating with a bachelor degree in 1961 before moving to the Twin Cities. It was while he was working at 3M that he not only obtained his Master?s Degree, but discovered he was going to be a brother again, this time to Laurie, who also became his god-daughter. Hal met Sharon ?Sherrie? Stuart in the elevator of the apartment complex where they both lived. He married her on June 11, 1966 in Clear Lake, Iowa. The two moved to a home on Big Marine Lake and became the proud parents of William Stuart Larson on July 11, 1970. A few years later, they moved to Black Lake in Mound, Minnesota, and welcomed Analyn Sue into their family on June 26, 1974. Hal left 3M and began his career with NorthStar, which later merged with the computer conglomerate Seagate. He developed various types of hardware and software, having an instrumental role in creating the test points for the wafer boards in computers. By this time, their children had grown and moved from home. Sherrie passed away on August 28th, 1992. Hal then began traveling to Thailand for several months throughout the next few years, instructing them on the testing of the wafer boards and it?s components. During this time several patents were issued to Hal and his work as Nuclear Physicist and Inventor. In December 1994, Hal was faced with another challenge when he had a slight stroke and was diagnosed with an AVM on the base of his brain. His travels to foreign lands ended, and although he continued to work stateside, he was eventually forced to retire due to his health. However, he still maintained an active life - eventually meeting his current wife, Mary, and marrying her on August 16th, 1997. They made their home in various places before settling on an acreage in Stanchfield, Minnesota. During the course of their marriage the two were able to travel to various places including his beloved Black Hills. Hal & Mary were able to go to the Black Hills this past Memorial Day and spend time exploring. They arrived home and within a few weeks, Hal was diagnosed with Stage IV esophageal cancer. Although he knew his time was limited, Hal lived his last few weeks to the best of his ability, visiting with family and friends, spending lots of quality time with Bill, Analyn, Sean, and their children. He also spent hours remembering the past with each of his & Mary?s siblings, sharing things with them & making memories that will forever remain in our hearts. On Saturday, August 21st, Hal arrived ?safely home? and was reunited with Dad & Mom, Don, and Sherrie. Those left to cherish his memory are his wife, Mary; children William, Analyn (Sean) Gapay, and Dale; step-children Lori (Jeff) Harlow, Paula Hayle, Stacy Martin; grandchildren Michael, Adam, Gabrielle, Jamie, Emily, Addie, Caitlin, Samuel; great-grandchild Ashlyn. He will also live on in the hearts of his brothers Jim (Deb) Larson, Larry (Mary) Larson, and his sisters Sharon (Mike) Brua , Laurie (Doug) VanNoort.