James Ross Larson

April 30, 1940 – September 26, 2024

Jim was born April 30, 1940 in Lincoln, Nebraska to May and William Larson, and was the youngest of their 13 children. They lived on a small farm in his early days, in what is now the middle of the city.

After his father died, the family moved to Eugene, Oregon, where Jim graduated from Eugene High School in 1958. He had a Naval ROTC scholarship at Oregon State University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business accounting in 1963. After college he served in the Navy as a supply corps officer for four years, including two years on the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany in Vietnam. He settled in Seattle after the service and earned a master’s in business administration from the University of Washington.

Jim married Barbara Rasch in 1969 and they together raised two children, Heather and Ray (RJ). He worked for Blue Cross as a Medicare auditor for 35 years and then at Noridian until his retirement at age 70. He served as treasurer at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Seattle for 33 years. Jim enjoyed gardening and kept a plot at a local P-Patch for three decades. He enjoyed watching sports on TV, and particularly Nebraska and UW football in the fall.

Jim especially enjoyed being a father. He was able to take the kids to school before going to work as he had a flexible schedule. He was very supportive of Barbara’s career and from the beginning they split duties around the house—Jim always doing the grocery shopping and dishes, taking care of the garden and small fixes around the house, and often preparing meals during the week. He was never too busy to help the kids with homework, play catch in the yard or basketball in the driveway. He was always helpful and there for his family. He enjoyed the family pets, and cat sat for his son for many years when RJ was out of town. He was a quiet, steady, dependable person with a keen sense of humor that really came out when you got to know him. Doing the simple, necessary things and keeping routines made him happy.

He is preceded in death by his parents and 12 brothers and sisters. He is survived by his wife Barbara, daughter Heather (Severin), son Ray (Crysta) and granddaughter Hazel.