Larry King

Funeral services for Larry D. King will be held at 10:30 AM on Monday, January 15, 2018 at First Lutheran Church in Albert Lea.  The Reverends John Holt and Daphne Hamborg will officiate.  Visitation will take place from 3 – 5 PM on Sunday at Bonnerup Funeral Service, Albert Lea, as well as one hour prior to the service at the church.  Interment will be at Graceland Cemetery.  Military honors will be provided by the local service organizations.

Larry passed away on January 7, 2018 at Regina Hospital in Hastings, MN.  He was 74 years old.

Larry Dale King was born on July 16, 1943 in Albert Lea to Franklin and Deloris (Peal) King.  He would graduate from Albert Lea High School in 1961.  Larry would enlist in the United States Navy for three years where he would be an Aviation Mechanic. Larry would then enlist in the Army, where he would spend 21 more years of his life fighting for our country.

Through his 24 years of military service, Larry became a skilled, accomplished, and decorated soldier.  He was a member of the Green Beret, he was a Ranger, a Pathfinder, a Helicopter Pilot, Fixed Wing Pilot, he had his own Halo Team, and later in his career, he would teach other Special Forces Unit soldiers.  For his dedicated service, some merits that he received include: a silver star with an oak leaf cluster, bronze star with an oak leaf cluster, army commendation medal, distinguished flying cross, and air medal with 37 oak leaf clusters, and two purple hearts.

An excerpt from a past article in the local paper: “Warrant Officer Larry D. King, son of Mr. and Mrs. Franklin G. King recently received a direct commission to second lieutenant and was awarded his second silver star, the nation’s third highest award for valorous duty, following his heroic actions in Vietnam.  King received over 50 medals and awards for his service in Vietnam, where he was a helicopter pilot.”

After that article, he would continue his military career where he would retire as a Captain in the United States Army.  During his service, he would obtain his master’s degree in procurement from Webster University.  After his retirement from the military, he would use that degree while he worked for Raytheon as a procurement agent, where he would be sent all over the world.  He also taught Ethics at the college level.

Larry would marry the love of his life, Jane (Hesson) in Dayton, Tennessee.  The couple would split their time living in Chattanooga, TN and Albert Lea, MN.

Larry enjoyed fishing, biking, and skiing.  When Larry was home, you could most always find him tinkering in his garage, or spending time with his beloved dog, Teddy.  Larry was blessed to have lifelong friends from grade school.  In the last few years, would do all he could to get this group of friends together to go fishing, or just to spend time together.  Larry can be described as loving, loyal, and fearless.  He liked to tell stories, how much of it was actually true – we aren’t sure – but nonetheless, his family loved listening to all of the stories he had to tell.  Overall, Larry loved his life, and he loved the people that shared it with him.

Larry is preceded in death by both parents, Franklin and Deloris; a brother in infancy; and brother and sisters in-law, Ronald Sorenson, Rosemary King, and Beverly King.

Those left to carry on his legacy include his wife, Jane King; children, Kathy Grissom, Kimberly Melton, and Kristopher King; children by marriage, Craig Salmon and Soraya Dayani, Katherine Salmon and Tommy Thrasher, and Jay (Tiffany) Smith; grandchildren, Jackson, Peyton, Jordan, Casey and Kara; a great-granddaughter, Leah; siblings, Virginia Sorenson, William King, Patricia (Norman) Bangert, and Linda King; a sister in-law, Ann (Al) Traylor, as well as many other loving relatives and friends.