Joe's life
Joseph Harlin Larson was born on May 14, 1925, the last of nine children of John Larson and Esther Schlander (Kjellander in Swedish) in Ludington. Michigan. His closest sibling was Dave, a brother four years older than Joe. Joe loved to follow Dave and his friends around, although in typical older-brother fashion, Dave would tell him to “get lost.” As a child, Joe spent all Sunday mornings at Trinity Evangelical Free Church. In Joe’s early years, all services were in Swedish. Joe’s father was a plumber and his mom raised the children and took in laundry to keep the family afloat. Life was especially difficult during the depression.
Joe always loved Lake Michigan and spent most of his youth at the Lake Michigan beach, in the woods, and fishing and swimming in nearby smaller lakes and streams. He attended Foster elementary school and Ludington High School, where he played on the basketball team and was active in student affairs. When he was only 12 years old, his mother died. His older sister Eleanor came home to “keep house” for Joe, Dave, and their father. After graduation from high school he drove a school bus. A business man in the church took an interest in Joe and co-signed a loan so he could open a motel/resort/gas station and later a furniture store in Ludington.
In 1948 Joe married Irene Fyhr. They moved to Detroit where Irene worked at Ethyl Corporation as a chemist and Joe started college at Wayne State University. He received a Bachelor’s degree and then attended Wayne State University Law School. He attained his J.D. in 1954 and began working at Chrysler Corporation in its legal department. A few years later he took a position at American Metal Products as its in-house counsel.
In 1956, the first of his three daughters, Karen, was born. Mary Jo followed in 1957 and Linda in 1959. The family lived in Farmington, Michigan, and later moved to Farmington Hills, Michigan. His family was always extremely important to him.
As Joe continued his work at American Medical Products (AMP), an auto supplier, AMP was expanding overseas. Joe oversaw many of the acquisitions and mergers. A small-town boy who had never traveled outside the country, he became a globe trotter. He traveled to Europe, South America, Japan, South Africa, and Mexico. Rene accompanied him on a European trip and also joined him in Mexico and South America. This was in the hey-day of corporate travel, with first-class airline seats, luxury hotels, and dinners at fine restaurants. Rene enjoyed the trips immensely.
In college Joe learned how to play squash. He played the game regularly for many years and won some tournaments. In the 1970s he and some of his fellow squash players bought a house on LaSalle Boulevard in Detroit because it had a separate squash court in the back of the property. He continued to play squash at least once a week for many years.
Joe always loved the outdoors and looked for property to buy “up north.” Around 1966 he and Rene bought some property on the Pere Marquette River near Walhalla, Michigan. The “house” on the property was no more than a shack, with no electricity, running water, or heat. The members of the suburban family all had to use an outhouse and get spring water from a pipe in the hill. Rene had to cook on a camping stove. The property was heavily wooded, with the Pere Marquette River meandering through the forest. The ultimate goal, however, was to acquire property on Lake Michigan. The river was property was sold in 1968, enabling the family to buy 70 acres on Lake Michigan near Pentwater. This was during the alewife die-offs and there were fish several inches deep on the beach and in the water. The air smelled of rotting fish. A buyer for the property backed out because of the horrendous fish mess. Joe, who had grown up on Lake Michigan, said, “This situation is not permanent. It will change,” and was able to buy the property, which was later named “Fridhem” which means “peaceful home” in Swedish.
Fridhem became a hub of family activity in the spring, fall, and especially summer. There was swimming, playing in the waves, hiking, boating, beach cookouts, beach bonfires, sunset-gazing, and walks along the shore. There were family dinners around the table in the old farmhouse. For many years Thanksgiving dinner occurred at Fridhem. Many friends of Rene and Joe, the daughters, and the grandchildren also came to the lake. They were welcomed almost as family and often a very large “extended family” visited Fridhem. For several years in the 1970s and 1980s, Rene and Joe hosted a Larson Family Reunion on the property. Several families would camp for a few days. We would play games and a huge smorgasbord lunch was served.
When the daughters became teenagers in the 1970s, Rene and Joe became youth group leaders at their church. They wanted to keep their daughters close and having activities at their home and supervising activity at church pretty much guaranteed that. There was always a “youth retreat” at the lake property and if you ask any of the former youth group members today if they remember the retreats, all will say that it was a wonderful and special time.
When the girls started having children, Rene and Joe became devoted grandparents. Karen's Seth was born in 1981 and Ian in 1985. Mary Jo and Jim Bizer brought Liz into the world in1989 and Jordan in 1993. 'Rene and Joe attended their soccer games, band concerts, hockey games, choir concerts, musicals, and baseball games. The last performance Joe attended was the Dearborn Symphony, the organization for which Seth plays, in November of 2014. He would not miss a concert or sports event in which his grandchildren were involved. He traveled to Ann Arbor to hear Liz’s choir performance and to Mt. Pleasant to attend concerts in which Ian participated. He traveled to Toronto to watch Jordan play in a hockey tournament. He was an inordinately proud grandfather.
When Linda married Bill McAfee in 1990, several step-grandchildren came into is life: Ken, Becky, Kevin, and Kelly. His warm embrace extended to them all.
The sons-in-law felt lucky to have such a supportive and loving father-in-law. Joe was always amazed at Bill's ability to fix anything--especially since Joe had no handyman capacity himself. He also loved to hear Jim's music and spent many hours over the years in bars, clubs, concert venues, and on the beach listening to him play.
When Joe retired, he and Rene took many car trips, mostly to the south, and stayed in bed and breakfasts. Rene did all the research and Joe would drive, Rene navigating (this was before widely-available GPS). They also took a trip to Sweden to visit relatives.
When Rene became sick with cancer, Joe was a dedicated care-giver. When she died, a light truly went out of his life. As Joe aged, he developed macular degeneration and was no longer able to drive. This was a major loss for him, as he cherished his freedom. He never bitterly complained, however, and would just shrug and say, “What are you going to do?”
Joe’s family was the most important aspect of his life. He spent New Year’s Eve with his oldest daughter, said “Happy New Year” when he went upstairs, and got ready for bed. In the morning he was gone. He will be sorely missed by his family and all who encountered him during his life.