Larry K. Willson

Larry K. Willson, 75, of Mt. Pleasant, IA, passed away Friday, March 30, 2018, at New London Specialty Care in New London, IA.

Visitation will be held from noon until 6:00 p.m., on Friday, April 20, 2018, at Olson~Powell Memorial Chapel. There will be no family present. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m., on Saturday, April 21, 2018, at Faith Lutheran Church in Mt. Pleasant, with Rev. Mike Scudder officiating. The family will greet friends for one hour prior to the service from 9:30 until 10:30 a.m., at the church. Military rites will be accorded following the memorial service. Gifts of love and friendship may be given to Dream Catchers, a volunteer program designed for granting wishes of hospice patients. On-line condolences may be directed to www.olsonpowell.com.

Born August 10, 1942, in Burlington, IA, Larry Keith was the son of Roy Solon and Zelda Marie (Ikerd) Willson. He was a 1960 graduate of Burlington High School. Following high school, Larry enlisted in the United States Air Force and served for 20 years. During the Viet Nam War, Tech Sergeant Willson served during the Tet Offensive in Da Nang. He attended welding school at Southeastern Community College after the war was over. Larry married Gail Smith on August 3, 1965, at Warner Robbins Air Force Base Hospital in Georgia. The couple later divorced.

After retiring from the Air Force, Larry worked for the United States Postal Service in Burlington, IA for 16 years until the time of his retirement. In 2000, he moved to Mt. Pleasant, where he was a member of Faith Lutheran Church. Larry sang in the church choir and loved music, especially 50s music and classic country. When he was in high school, he was a DJ at The Web in Burlington. Larry was a former member of the V.F.W. in Burlington and currently was a member of Disabled American Veterans. He liked putting military models together with his son, doing puzzles, and reading western, World War II, and military books.

Larry is survived by three children, Donald (Tina) Willson of Omaha, NE, Brenda Shaw of Mt. Pleasant, IA, and Teresa Loper of Ashburn, GA; and five sisters, Donna Curran of New London, IA, Ginny Crawford of Burlington, IA, Janet Henderson of Muscatine, IA, Linda (Tom) Ryun of Wilmington, DE, and Connie Hawkins of Lincoln, NE. He is also survived by five grandchildren, Nicki, Joshua, Elizabeth, Matthew, and Olivia, along with two great-grandchildren.

Along with his parents, Larry was preceded in death by two brothers, Jack Willson and Richard Willson; and four brothers-in-law, Max Curran, Jack Crawford, Jerry Henderson, and Terry Hawkins.