- Date Of Birth: November 9, 1930
- Date Of Death: July 19, 2020
- State: Idaho
Norman Keith Larson (Keith), our beloved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, and great-great grandfather, passed away at home with his sweetheart of over seventy years near his side this July 19, 2020. He was under the care of, and the family wishes to especially thank Jan Hughes and her family, and the staff of Hands of Hope for their care these last months.
Keith was born November 9, 1930, in Roberts, Idaho, the second child of Hans Fredrick Larson and Clarice Calkins. He was preceded in death by his younger brother, Martin (1956) and his younger sister, Lois Jeanne (Jack) Cragun (2013). He is survived by his siblings, Don (Jan) Larson (Common, Calgary, Canada), Jim (Carol) Larson (Ammon), and Hazel (Dix, deceased) Hoffman (Idaho Falls).
Keith grew up in Roberts until 1937, then the family moved to Idaho Falls. While in high school, Keith kept a paper route for several years, moving up the ranks in the business.
Thanks to Cat Thompson, well known in the area for his enthusiasm for Boy Scouting, Keith earned his merit badges along with his father, Fred, (it was allowed back then) and both received their Eagle Scout Awards. Keith spent many years serving in the Scouting program.
Keith met his sweetheart, Bonne Jeanne Evans, in the spring of 1948, and soon they were a couple. They took out their endowments in the Salt Lake Temple because the Idaho Falls Temple was undergoing a remodel and was not done. They then went back to Idaho Falls to be sealed together in the Idaho Falls Temple, October 14, 1949, while Keith was attending the old Ricks Junior College, pursuing a degree in Education. He continued his education later, going back in the summers to earn his BA.
With a two-year certificate from Ricks College, Keith taught two years in Shelley, Idaho, then two years in Wendell, Idaho, from 1952-1954. In the summer, he continued his studies and earned his BA in Education. His next years were at Boise, Idaho (1954-1998). Here, he taught elementary school, and later was made an assistant principal at Lincoln. He then had a principalship at Pierce Park, and later at Cole School.
The school years were busy with teaching, and Keith was an excellent teacher, but his joy was the summers when he picked up his drafting tools and his hammer. He designed the family several homes and built them himself. His homes were well-built, and the family especially enjoyed the hand-crafted cabinets, dresser shelving, laundry chute, and other extras he built in. In 1970, he and Jeanne decided to make a big career leap. Keith would become a building contractor, building and selling homes. He continued this career for the rest of his life, always a project in his head ready to become reality. Indeed, Dad was a builder both of people and of homes.
While in Lincoln as an assistant principal, Keith worked with a special needs group and his students built and created things that amazed the school staff. At his end, he volunteered in his daughter, Debrah’s, special needs classroom once again. His skill with those young people was amazing, and each student for several years turned out a shelf or end table that was worthy of the finest of bedrooms for the loved students.
Keith and Jeanne then returned to live in Idaho Falls (1998-2007). Habitat for Humanity with ESA kept Keith busy for several years after retirement, and it gave a happy purpose to his life.
The couple then moved to Rupert, Idaho (2007-2017), then back to Ammon to stay their last years under the tender care of their youngest daughter, Jan Hughes, and her family.
Besides serving the Boy Scouts, Keith served his community on the Boise Idaho School Board from 1972-1976. He was devoted to the community and would spend a lot of time listening to community members expressing their desires for the schools in Boise. He did not serve as a politician, but as a fellow elected citizen doing his part to make our schools better.
In their final moments together, his sweetheart and eternal love sang to him as she often did, his favorite songs and the most favorite, “Did I ever tell you that I love you?” and she did.
