Milton Byrd Larson Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Milton Larson died peacefully at the age of 94 on June 18, at home in the company of family. He was the devoted husband of the late Wilma “Billie” Larson, his wife of 63 years. He is survived by three children, Greg (Stefanie), Arne, and Linda (Bill Pelto); and by four grandchildren, Joshua (Emily Drevets), Eric (Isabel Vogt), Hannah and Kaia. He was preceded in death by their son, Steve (Sonja Rasmussen) and his brother Oscar. Milton, the son of Oscar and Martha (Opedal) Larson, grew up in Portland, Oregon, with his brother Oscar. As soon as he was old enough to enlist, he volunteered to join the Army in WWII. After his service was over, he was part of the second post-war Mechanical Engineering class at what was then called Oregon State College, now Oregon State University. While an undergraduate, visiting his parents in Portland, he met Billie. They married shortly after he graduated. Their wedding was the first service held in Central Lutheran Church in Portland. He went on to get a Masters Degree at Yale, and a Doctorate at Stanford. With brief interludes in Grand Forks, ND, (Dean of Engineering at University of North Dakota), Parkersburg, WV, (Ford Foundation Visiting Scientist at DuPont), and Germany (Guest Lecturer teaching soldiers stationed in Bavaria), he spent his professional career as a professor at Oregon State University, and retired as Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering. Billie and Milt loved the mountains and the Oregon coast. After retiring, they enjoyed travel, especially with Elderhostel. They also took the family on vacation in Hawaii, North Carolina, and the inland passage cruise from Seattle to Juneau. Milton was active at the Lutheran Campus Ministry at Luther House while he was an undergraduate, and Milton and Billie were pillars of the congregation and longtime members of the choir at Grace Lutheran Church in Corvallis. A memorial service will be held Saturday, July 30 at 2:00pm, at Grace Lutheran Church, 435 NW 21st St in Corvallis, Oregon. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Luther House at Oregon State University, http://www.luther-house.org/ or to the charity of your choice.

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Milton Byrd Larson

July 3, 1927 - June 18, 2022