Obituary of Charles Larson

Charles Larson Jr.Charles F. Larson, Jr. of Eugene died July 13 of age-related causes at age 88. A memorial service will be held at a later date.He was born April 20, 1922, in Multnomah to Charles and Maybella Ross Larson. He married Deborah Lewis on July 9, 1948, in Chapel Hill, N.C.He received a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Oregon. He served in the Navy during World War II. He was a certified personal accountant for Kohnen Larson Macdonald Wright & Co. in Eugene, and also owned his own certified personal accounting firm.Survivors include his wife; three sons, Charles III and Richard, both of Eugene, and John of Creswell; a daughter, Catherine Larson of Eugene; a brother, Richard of Silver Spring, Md.; and 12 grandchildren. A daughter, Marian Trummer, died Dec. 20, 2007.Arrangements by Musgrove Family Mortuary in Eugene.Charles Frederick Larson died peacefully on July 13 with his family nearby. Grandson of Norwegian homesteaders, Charles was born in 1922 and grew up in rural Multnomah. Although his life spanned nearly a century, he never moved from the Willamette Valley, inspired by its natural beauty and by others who lived here. In WWII, Charles joined the US Navy and served in the Pacific War until its end. He attended graduate school on the GI Bill at the University of Oregon, became a licensed Certified Public Accountant, and served as president of the Southern Oregon Chapter of CPAs. During his graduate studies, he met one of the university librarians - Deborah Lewis of Chapel Hill, N. Carolina - and followed her to the end of the stacks and asked, Where've you been? Two years later, they married in Chapel Hill and raised five children in the wooded east hills of Eugene - Charlie, Richard, Catherine, Marian and John. Once their children were grown, they moved to a farm along the Coast Fork of the Willamette River, where they grew food and flowers, and where Charles perfected his raspberry jam. Charles was a modest, hardworking man, reputed for being a scrupulously honest and astute businessman. He believed strongly in public service, contributing his time and skills as an advocate of the arts, public health and education. He served on the board of directors of the Maude Kerns Art Center, Friends of the UO Museum of Art, Mt. Pisgah Arboretum, the Jaycees, Eugene Symphony, Eugene Mozart Players, the American Red Cross and the Oregon Trail Council Boy Scouts of America. He also served as president of the Condon School PTA, the Eugene-University Music Association and the Eugene Family YMCA Endowment Fund. Charles was also a competitive sportsman into his 80s, playing handball and racquetball during his lunch breaks. He was known too for being a formidable chess opponent, an unrelenting prankster and punster, and, by his children, for his head massages and honeyed tenor voice. Most mornings started with ol' time folk songs, the bathroom crowded with his youngest kids as he sang and shaved while Deborah harmonized from the kitchen. Guiding his daily life, whether public or private, were the humane practices of his church. Charles served as treasurer of Central Presbyterian Church in Eugene for 30 years and sang in its choir for 50 years. The church helped teach his children and grandchildren to be aware of others' struggles, such as the dire conditions of migrant workers and the need to provide food and shelter within the church building itself to fellow citizens enduring desperate times. Beachcomber, rockhound, and driftwood collector, he discovered the primeval sea in a white agate which he found along the Oregon coast. When matters got out of hand, he took the agate out of his pocket, held it to the light, then tipped it so that the ancient sea turned over and set things right. In sorrow but without regret, we're gathering to say goodbye to our beloved husband, father and grandfather, whose life closed like the end of a long summer's day. A memorial service will be held at 4:00 p.m. Monday, August 2, at Central Presbyterian Church 555 East 15th Ave. Eugene.