Jerry Larson

Jerry Larson was born in Harlan, Iowa on May 17, 1936 to Gerald and Eleanor (Patterson) Larson. He was little brother to Craig and big brother to Doug. Jerry was seven years old when his father was drafted into the Navy during WWII. His grandfather, Edgar Larson ("Pop"), made sure Jerry and his brothers kept busy and out of trouble. He purchased an acreage on the Nishnabotna River with a barn, cows and chickens. Every day, Pop picked up the boys from school and headed for the acreage where they spent the day having fun and learning about farm life. Undoubtedly, Pop had a profound impact on Jerry's later role as grandpa to his 12 grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
As a young child, one of Jerry's best friends was Dick Nelson. Together they had many adventures selling vegetables from a wagon, mowing lawns and trapping. When a mink was accidentally caught early in the season, Jerry built a cage and kept it alive until the pelt was mature. From that point on, Jerry was a "mink farmer." When he caught a skunk in one of his traps, he buried his shoes to try and get rid of the smell. A few days later, he wore those shoes to school. The geometry teacher smelled skunk and said, "Larson- get out of here!" In high school, he met another lifelong friend, George Jorgensen. They met in the principal's office- George says he was tardy for a good reason, but "Jerry had no good reason. He was always tardy." At his core, Jerry's friends say he was loyal. He was kind. He was humble. He had a faith he lived by. He stood up for anyone being picked on. He lived by the values he had been taught.
Jerry graduated from Harlan High School in 1954. He then attended the University of Iowa and graduated in 1957 with a bachelor's degree in political science. In 1960, he graduated from the University of Iowa School of Law and then began a clerkship with Judge Van Oosterhout of the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. Later, Jerry joined his father in the family law firm of Larson & Larson. He had a general practice and was Shelby County Attorney for two terms before his appointment to the 4th District Court in 1975. In 1978, Jerry was appointed by Governor Ray to the Iowa Supreme Court where he remained until retirement in 2008. While on the Supreme Court, Jerry had more than 20 law clerks with whom he remained in contact throughout the remainder of his life.
In 1958, Jerry married Linda Logan. Together, they became parents to Becky, Jeff, Suzy and Dave. Being a dad- and later a grandpa- was truly the joy of Jerry's life. As much as Jerry is known for his legal career in the State of Iowa, he is especially remembered by his children and grandchildren for always being a priority in his life. Jerry rarely missed a family event and made sure each child/grandchild had a special one-on-one relationship with him. In addition to family, many things brought Jerry joy: old cars, dogs, landscaping, planting trees and tulips, fishing, trapping, and coffee breaks with his friends.
Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, Gerald and Eleanor Larson, and his brothers, Craig Larson and Doug Larson. Jerry is survived by: His four children: Becky (Bob) Larson, Jeff (Shelli) Larson, Suzy (Jay) Christensen, and Dave (Lea) Larson; his 12 grandchildren: Nic Christensen, Bret Larson, Adam Christensen, Brian Larson, Liz Larson, Rees Christensen, Rob Larson, Sadie Christensen, Jake Larson, Brody Larson, Caden Larson and Cass Christensen; and his six great grandchildren: Logan Wirtz, Elaina Larson, Emily Christensen, Karsyn Christensen, Jack Christensen and Norah Larson.