Peter Larson's Obituary
Peter Edward Larson was born on January 10, 1941 in Tacoma, Washington to Erling and Rhoda (Lean) Larson. He passed away peacefully on October 13, 2017 at his home in Spanaway, Washington. After graduating from Lincoln High School in 1959, Pete went on to serve our country in the United States Armed Forces. Following four years in the army he worked at Brown and Haley as a candy maker for a short time, then was hired on with the phone company, Pacific Northwest Bell at the time, where he remained until his retirement in July of 1999.
Pete leaves behind his son Phillip (Jennifer) Larson of Atlanta, Ga. and two daughters, Elaine (Don) Gahan of Tacoma, and Denise (Brian) Lane of Olympia, and six grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister Erline Lunsford of Olympia, his brother Mark (Patti) Larson of Shelton, and his brother in law John Aitken of Auburn. Pete was preceded in death by both of his parents, and by his sister Patricia Aitken. As a young man Pete enjoyed camping and fishing with his friends and family as well as heading out to remote spots to practice target shooting. Many kids of family and friends remember getting to learn how to shoot a gun with their Uncle Pete! He made many "marathon" breakfasts of homemade swedish pancakes when his kids had friends sleep over, and reliably made norwegian fattigmann cookies every year for Christmas Eve. Pete also enjoyed time spent talking football (go Huskies!) and politics over a can of Coors lite at McNeils tavern, and then the Park Ave tavern, in Tacoma. In recent years he developed an interest in RC helicopters, which quickly evolved to include an extensive collection of camera and video drones. As were his wishes, there will be no service. Those wanting to make a donation in Pete's name are encouraged to support The American Heart Association (www.heart.org), or Multiple Sclerosis research (www.nationalmssociety.org), and to follow his lead when you see a scouting or campfire fundraising table. Dad never could pass a group of kids outside of a store without teasing them a bit, but ultimately buying several items.
What’s your fondest memory of Peter?
What’s a lesson you learned from Peter?
Share a story where Peter's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Peter you’ll never forget.
How did Peter make you smile?

