NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Richard Arlin Larson of the Capay District near Orland died on Friday, March 7, 2014, after a sudden illness. He was 75 years old.
He was born August 26, 1938, in San Francisco, to Arlin Louis Larson, a sheet metal worker and Utah native, and Ethel Louise Rucker Larson, a California native who worked as a nurse in a San Francisco children's hospital during the 1920s and 1930s.
Richard was the grandson of Swedish Mormon immigrants on his father’s side, and on his mother’s side was the great-grandson of British immigrants, and descended from a German family that first arrived in America in the late 1600s. He also was a descendant of several patriots in the American Revolution.
When he was a small boy, his family left San Francisco for Redwood City, in part, to help deal with his severe asthma.
At that time, Redwood City was still mostly rural, and his family raised pigeons and chickens, and had a large garden at their Norman Street home.
Richard became particularly interested in pigeons and goats, which he began raising while still a child. However, being a dairyman was his great dream from childhood.
Richard graduated from Sequoia High School in Redwood City in 1956. Although extremely intelligent, Richard was, by his own admission, not a very good student and despite his father's desire that he go to college, he wanted to pursue his dream of becoming a dairy farmer.
After graduating from high school, Richard worked for a short time with his father at DuraVent in Belmont before moving to Half Moon Bay. There, on a little hillside ranch, he began raising livestock. His first cow was a Holstein heifer named Rosey.
He later went to work for Elbert Marsh and for Francie Marsh. Francie Marsh grew hay for the horses at Bay Meadows racetrack, and he taught Richard to drive teams of horses on the steep hillsides of San Gregorio, south of Half Moon Bay. People who knew him said Richard learned to speak passable Portuguese after working with the farmers on the coast.
He also worked for Giuseppe “Shorty” Berta, an Italian immigrant who had a well-known truck farm and vegetable stand on Highway 92 in Half Moon Bay.
Not long after his father died, Richard purchased his first team of three horses with funds he received from his Swedish grandmother.
Draft horses would be a lifelong love of his, and he would forgo using a tractor whenever possible in favor of his beloved horses, of which he had many – Belgians, Clydesdales, Percherons and Shires. He would at one point have a large amount of horsedrawn equipment, including a wagon he used for giving hay rides.
In May 1970, Richard married Julia Gray. Early the following year, a month before the birth of their first child, their home burned to the ground, destroying all of their belongings. Their church came to the rescue, helping the couple get back on their feet in time to welcome their new baby.
The couple had two children together: daughter, Elizabeth, and son, Keith.
Richard worked for about eight years as a custodian at Cabrillo Unified School District, particularly at El Grenada Elementary School, while he continued farming. Because he didn’t get home until late at night, his wife let their baby daughter get up late to play with him when he got home, thus making her a perpetual night owl.
In October 1974, the family purchased a 50-acre dairy in the Capay District and moved there.
Richard was intellectually gifted. He taught himself to read and play music, and played the piano and organ. For many years he played the organ at a number of churches, including Methodist and Southern Baptist churches in Half Moon Bay, the House of Prayer in Orland and the Capay Assembly of God.
Richard was a devout Christian, who viewed the world and the people in it with love and compassion. He greeted everyone as a friend, and daily prayed for those around him, as well as for strangers who needed help.
The hard-working dairy farmer was rarely without a smile; he loved life no matter the obstacles and always had a kind word for those me met. He attributed his positive outlook to his connection with God, was an avid reader of the Bible and considered Jesus his primary physician.
He loved the outdoors and was a skilled gardener. Like his mother, he could “throw down doorknobs and grow bungalows.”
After he had retired for being a dairy farmer – he sold his dairy in 2005 – he continued to raise goats, doves and pigeons. His roller pigeons could often be seen flying above his home, doing tumbles as they circled overhead.
Throughout his life he enjoyed sports. Although he had asthma as a young man, he said he was healed of it while at a meeting held by evangelist Kathryn Kuhlman. As a result, he was able to enjoy bicycling, volleyball and basketball, swimming and boating.
He had a curious mind and continued to pursue knowledge into the final days of his life. One of his last efforts was to learn Spanish to help at a local Spanish-speaking church. He also was known for building unusual but useful contraptions around his ranch.
Richard is preceded in death by his parents, Arlin and Ethel Larson; several aunts and uncles; brother-in-law, George Hall of Santa Rosa; mother-in-law, Clara Gray of Orland; and several cousins.
He is survived by his son, Keith Larson of Turlock; daughter, Elizabeth Larson and son-in-law, John Jensen, of Lucerne; sister, Nancy Hall of Windsor; ex-wife, Julia Larson of Orland; niece, Jennifer Hall of Santa Rosa; nephew, Scott Hall of Santa Rosa; grandchildren, Kirsten and Ethan Larson of Hughson; great niece, Daisy Hall of Hawaii; uncle, Sterling Larson of Eagle, Idaho; cousin, Norma Wright and her husband, Fred, of Talent, Ore.; childhood friend of more than 63 years, Carl Antone of Orland; numerous nieces and nephews in North Carolina and Georgia; many cousins; countless friends; and his beloved dog, Missy.
The family will hold a memorial service and dinner to celebrate his life at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 23, at the Capay Elementary School, located at Fourth and Cutting avenues, across the street from where his dairy once stood.
The community is invited to come and share memories of Richard, and to enjoy an afternoon featuring the kinds of things Richard loved – good fellowship and hospitality, and good food. Many of his favorite dishes – including fried chicken, cowboy beans and carrot cake – will be served.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that those wishing to offer a donation in Richard's memory consider supporting the Capay Volunteer Fire Department, 50 Fourth Ave., Orland, CA 95963; or the Capay 4-H Club, P.O. Box 697, Orland, CA 95963.
Messages of condolence and memories of Richard may be shared with the family via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or in care of Julia Larson, 7411 Capay Ave., Orland, CA 95963.
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