OBITS: The Spectrum 4 Jun 2005; St. George, Washington co., Utah

text-formatted by W. David Samuelsen
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Source: St. George The Spectrum http://www.thespectrum.com

Lavon Freeman Larson

LOGAN - Lavon Freeman Larson, age 94, passed away Friday, May 27, 2005 at
Logan Regional Hospital from a heart arrhythmia incident to age. He was born
January 13, 1911 in Logan, Utah to August and Nellie Clifford Larson. Lavon
married Maurine Smart June 16, 1939 in the Logan LDS Temple. He was an active
member of the member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Mr. Larson is a 1948 graduate of Utah State Agricultural College, today known
as Utah State University, in the field of Mechanical Arts. He taught there for
three years. He designed and built the first electric remote control
scoreboard in the old Smart Gymnasium at USU. He worked for Logan city Power
for 10 years, Franklin County Sugar Company for three years, Thompson
Electric, Utah Power and Light, and then after twenty-three years of teaching
machine work and drivers education, retired form the Bureau of Indian Affairs,
Intermountain Indian School at Brigham City. Before dual controls in the
drivers education cars became commercially available, he designed his own
controls and adapted them to safely teach his driving students. Lavon was a
man ahead of his time. He also developed his own windshield defrosters before
that feature was marketed in automobiles.

As a young boy, Lavon would fill his containers with buttermilk from Borden
milk factory where his father worked, and then head uptown to sell his
buttermilk. The Bluebird Restaurant and the prominent Eccles family were among
his customers. Jobs were hard to find, but he was very industrious.

In his youth he won a contest for riding his bicycle the greatest distance on
a narrow rail without falling off. He was the exuberant bicycle man of Cache
valley who could be found riding around town while sitting backwards on the
bicycle seat. His lucky daughters had the luxury of riding on his personally
designed and constructed child bicycle seat. It was made of wood and fit over
the bar on his bicycle. This was all before things of this type could be
purchased at a store. Daddy's home-made stilts were the delight of his
children.

Our family fondly thinks of Lavon as our own "Johnny Appleseed". Wherever he
lived he planted apple trees. He gifted many with apple trees to plant. He
relished not only eating the apples but also ate the cores seeds and all.
Courtesy of Lavon our family has savored a lifetime of the most delectable
apples Grandpa could grow or purchase.

After the passing of his wife Maurine, Lavon moved to his beloved Hillcrest
Avenue home where he was embraced by neighbors and the members of the LDS
Hillcrest Second Ward. He loved it there and often expressed gratefulness for
that blessing. Lavon was a responsible steward taking immaculate care of his
home and yard. When it came to exercise and good nutrition, he lived what he
taught. Each morning, until the age of ninety-one he walked across USU campus,
down college hill, and back up to his home.

He is survived by his sister Marie Moser (Marlow) Logan, Utah, and his brother
Emery (Doreen) Larson of Salt lake City Utah, his three daughters and one
stepson, Sharon Bickmore (Bill) St. George, Utah, June Smith (Cleve) Hyrum,
Utah , Barbara Hill (Dave) Casper, Wyoming, and Dr. Arthur Gene Smart
Irvington, Alabama. He enjoyed visiting his eleven grandchildren and his
twenty-three great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife Maurine
Smart Larson, his parents, and four siblings.

Funeral Services will be held 12:00 noon Friday June 3, 2005 at the Allen Hall
Mortuary Chapel Logan, Utah. Friends and family may pay their respects on
Thursday evening form 6-7:00 PM and on Friday from 10:30-11:30 AM on Friday at
the mortuary. Interment will be in the Millville, Utah cemetery. Online
condolences may be sent to www.allenmortuaries.net.

Originally published June 4, 2005