Mr. Larson was born May 1, 1924 in Ames, Iowa, a son of Silas and Lillian Apland Larson. He was a 1942 graduate of Ames High School. Following high school, Mr. Larson enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving as a P-61 Night fighter pilot and flew in the Pacific Theater. He received the Asiatic Pacific Theater Ribbon with Three Bronze Stars, the Air Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Philippine Liberation Medal with one Bronze Star, the American Theater Ribbon, the Victory Medal, and was honorably discharged in December, 1946.
Following the war, he was a 1950 graduate of the Iowa State College, receiving a Bachelors of Science in Ceramic Engineering. Mr. Larson worked as a ceramic engineer for Kaiser Refractories in Columbiana for 35 years, retiring in 1989. Mr. Larson was a member of the Disciples Christian Church, where he was an elder emeritus and a member of its choir.
He also was a member of the American Ceramic Society and the American Foundry Society. He enjoyed woodworking, golf, and enjoyed various types of music.
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, the former Charlotte Dodd, whom he married Feb. 14, 1944; two sons, Stephen D. Larson of Eden Prairie, Minn., and John P. (Phoebe) Larson of Rockford, Ill.; one daughter, Mary (Angelo) Ciavarella of Poland, Ohio; six grandchildren, David (Elizabeth) Ciavarella, Stephen Larson Jr., Elizabeth Larson, Matthew Silas Ciavarella, Samuel Shisler, and T. Lincoln Shisler; two brothers, James (Carolyn) Larson of Madrid, Iowa and David (Phyllis) Larson of Chagrin Falls, Ohio; and one brother-in-law, Charles Dodd of Honolulu, Hawaii.