Edward "Mark" Larson Graveside services for Edward Mark Larson, 77, Lawrence will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, July 24, 2010 at Oak Hill Cemetery in Lawrence, KS. A Celebration of Life will be held at a future date. Mr. Larson died July 21, 2010 at Stormont-Vail in Topeka, KS.
He was born August 23, 1932 in Belleville, Kansas the son of Elmer C. and Mary E. (Vietor) Larson.
He graduated from Belleville High School in 1950 and received his BA from the Kansas Wesleyan University and his Master of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Arizona. He taught school in Texas, worked for the City of Kansas City, Missouri and installed insulation in homes. Mr. Larson was an avid gardener, naturalist and environmentalist and was an active participant in the Re-evaluation Counseling Community.
Mr. Larson was a noted Lawrence social activist. He was an active member of many organizations including the Kansas Area Watershed (KAW) Council, Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice, Lawrence-El Papaturro Friendship Committee, Appropriate Technology Center, and Radioactive Free Kansas. He was an active member of the Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence and received the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Social Justice Adult Award in 2004.
He is survived by nieces, Ann Swenson of Wichita, KS; Nancy Fricke of Nashville, TN and nephews, Bruce Larson of Edinburg, VA; Kim Larson of Turlock, CA.
Memorials may be made in his name to Lawrence-El Papaturro Friendship Committee; Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence or to Community Foundation and may be sent in care of the Warren-McElwain Mortuary.
Guestbook Entries
Date: Jul 24, 2010
Name: LaVetta Westphal - Rolfs
Date: Jul 23, 2010
Name: Jane Gibson
Entry: I so admired Mark's dedication to social justice. He was an inspiration to many of us and will be missed.
Date: Jul 23, 2010
Name: Susan Cooper & Lisa Braun
Entry: We met Mark last year through the Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence. We so admired his dedication and gentle spirit and are thankful for having known him. Our heartfelt condolences to his family.
Susan & Lisa
Date: Jul 23, 2010
Name: Lou Hoover
Entry: My husband and I knew Mark as Ed for decades before he began calling himself Mark. How and when our friendship with Mark/Ed began is lost in the mists of time, but it must have been 50 years or more. He was a gentle, kind, intelligent and utterly unique man who never stopped learning and growing. It's hard to accept that we'll never again have his battered car parked in front of our house as we drink tea and hear more about his odyssey through life.
Date: Jul 23, 2010
Name: audrey klopper
Entry: Mark was a wonderful man, and so very kind to my family. He took my son into his home and taught him so much, in his own humble way. He taught him, most of all, about compassion and generosity. I will always be grateful to Mark for this, and for his steadfast love for the earth. My heart goes out to his family, and to those that were not connected by blood, but were also family. I will miss him. Audrey Klopper
Date: Jul 23, 2010
Name: Kim M. Larson
Entry: I am sad that Uncle Mark did not get to see the the new me. I will sorely miss his insight and opinions weather we agreed or not.
Date: Jul 23, 2010
Name: Kim M. Larson
Entry: I am sad that Uncle Mark did not get to see the the new me. I will sorely miss his insight and opinions weather we agreed or not.
Guestbook/Condolence Entry Form
