After almost 5 years of struggling with dementia, on Sept 9th, John Larson has flown away with the angels. John, 87, was born and raised in the little town of Canby MN to Oliver and Helen Larson. There he had a paper route, worked in the greenhouse and sometimes helped with harvest. He liked to tell the story of when he and a friend built motorbikes and would ride them to Dawson MN on 5 cents worth of gas. They also spent time camping, fishing and frying up their catch in Chub Dale. After graduation from Canby High School, John worked on the construction of the Presbyterian Church and with a road crew until joining the US Air Force in 1957. He took jet aircraft and flight line training at Parrin Air Force Base before being deployed to Wheelus Air Force Base in Tripoli, Libya. After discharge, John began a 30 year career as an optician in Topeka KS, Beloit WS, Duluth MN and Watertown SD. He later worked in a wood shop for 10 years.