Leland "Lee" Larson

Leland “Lee” Thomas Larson, 87, traded in his pilot wings for golden wings on April 7, 2023, surrounded by 3 generations of family.

He was born June 28, 1935, in Grundy Center, Iowa, to Jordan and Mildred Larson. When Lee was a child, his father Jordan became Superintendent of Schools in Mt. Vernon, NY, moving the family from Iowa. In Mt. Vernon, Lee began many lifelong friendships and met Arlene Wood, who would become his wife 35 years later. Lee attended Iowa State University and decided to enroll in the United States Air Force in aviation cadet training, where he served for 10 years, flew in Vietnam and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

In 1960 he married Catherine (Cathy) Kurtessis and they had 4 beautiful daughters, Victoria, Jennifer, Kristen and Andrea. They moved from New York to California and settled in Plantation, Florida. Although he had originally planned to stay in the Air Force, moving around with a family of 6 was not enticing anymore so Lee decided to pursue being an airline pilot. Lee began flying with Pan American World Airways in 1967. He and Cathy divorced after 18 years of marriage and Lee moved to Key Largo.

In 1982 Lee flew to NY and a childhood friend, Tony, reunited Lee with Arlene, who was also divorced and had one child, Greg. Lee and Arlene married and shortly after planning their life together were surprised with the news of beautiful 5th daughter, Laura. Lee, Arlene and Laura traveled around the world, living in many places including Berlin, Germany when the Berlin Wall fell. Lee was fortunate in being able to switch to Delta before Pan Am went out of business and flew for Delta for 10 years. They settled in Georgia and stayed there to raise Laura. Lee was delighted when Laura attended University of Georgia, mainly because of their football team whose games Lee always looked forward to.

After Arlene’s passing, Lee moved to Huntersville, NC to be closer to Laura and her husband, Joe, especially in support of their new family with the welcoming of two children and to grow close to his new grandchildren. Lee joined Bethel Church in Huntersville where he felt very supported and greatly enjoyed the sermons, whether in person or online. Through his career and vacations, Lee traveled all over the world and at the age of 83, had one more item to check off his bucket list, stepping foot on the only continent he hadn’t yet, Antarctica. He and his daughter, Victoria, traveled to Argentina and then sailed the seas to Antarctica, where they walked amongst the penguins and delighted in the icy sights.

During the pandemic and through health challenges and treatments, his daughter Andrea came to live with him. Lee called Andrea his guardian angel and she provided him with the best quality of life possible until his last breath.

Leland was an incredible husband to Arlene, as well as a dedicated and loving father and grandfather. He took great pride in his Norwegian heritage, holding a deep appreciation for such on behalf of his beloved mother who traced the family back to the day of the first Nordic King Harold. He also sought to walk in his father, Colonel Jordan Larson's, footsteps in aviation carrying on his honorable legacy in flying for the USAF. He enjoyed catching up with pals, visiting family and discussing politics. He was a true gentleman, generous, forgiving and fiercely patriotic. He loved his conservative news, had a baseball cap to represent all his interests, loathed robo-callers and, overall, had the most positive outlook on life. He continually wished for all of his family to be healthy and happy and he dreamed that in his children’s lifetime there would be established congressional term limits. Lee will be deeply missed by all of those who knew him and his daughters will always remain full of gratitude, respect, love and great pride for their father.

Blue Skies and Tailwinds to Leland forever.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Arlene Wood Larson, parents, his siblings Jordan Larson Jr, Jeanne Greiwe, Marilyn Mau and many friends. Left to cherish his memory are daughters Victoria Twisdale and husband Pete, Jennifer Young and husband Bud, Kristen Larson, Andrea Sessa, Laura Galloway and husband Joseph, stepson Gregory Hankinson; grandchildren, Jacquelyn, Alexandra, Preston, Nicholas, Kevin and Julie; great granddaughter Alannah.

A visitation will be held at Wilkinson Funeral Home Monday, June 12, 2023 from 10:00 am to 11:00 am. Service will be at 11:00 am in the chapel followed by a committal with military honors at the VA Cemetery in Salisbury at 1:00 pm sharp.

In lieu of flowers please visit the memorial page for Leland through St. Jude''s Children''s Hospital to donate in his honor: http://giftfunds.stjude.org/lelandlarson or donate to The Heritage Fund.