Elgin

John A. Larison, 73, of rural Elgin, died Saturday, June 18, 2022 at UnityPoint Health-St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids.

A visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 28, in Cedar Memorial State Room, where a brief Masonic ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. A funeral service celebrating John’s life will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 29, at Cedar Memorial Chapel of Memories, with Celebrant Jim Parton officiating. A recording of the funeral service may be accessed on the funeral home website under the obituary for John Larison, under the video tab after his service has concluded.

Survivors include his wife, Shawnna of rural Elgin; his son, Aaron and granddaughter, Katelynn of Tabernash, Colo., and granddaughter, Madisen of Raleigh, N.C. John also considered Eleanore Serceau-Perbet of Paris, France among his family members. His survivors also include his siblings, Dennis (Julie) Larison of Elizabethtown, Pa., Karen Larison of Cedar Rapids, Douglas Larison of Cedar Rapids and Kimberly Larison (Ryan Bettcher) of Des Moines; and his numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

John, the son of James and Betty (Davidson) Larison, was born March 16, 1949, in Maryville, Mo. John spent the first 11 years on a farm just a mile from the Iowa-Missouri state line in Taylor County, Iowa, where he attended a one-room schoolhouse. The remainder of John’s childhood was spent in both Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Richardson, Texas. After high school, he received technical training at the local community college, enabling him to work for most of his adult life as a mechanical designer at Rockwell Collins. In 1970, John married his first wife Janice, and they produced John’s only child, Aaron. In 1996, he married Shawnna (Kirby). They lived for several years in rural Springville, where he was a Past Master and longtime Secretary at Masonic Lodge 139. Upon retiring, John and Shawnna moved to rural Elgin.

John was known for his sense of humor; he had a flair for storytelling and joking around, both with friends and family and with strangers. John was an outdoors enthusiast. His hobbies included traditional archery, hunting, fishing, metal working and gardening. He was a long-time participant in Iowa Project Aware’s annual river cleanups. Children almost universally loved John, not only for his humor, but for his patience in teaching them about nature. He taught children archery through the National Archery in the Schools Program through the Anamosa Bowhunters club. But perhaps more importantly, John was always ready to help when help was needed — willing to climb up on a sister’s roof when it needed repair or to be there with a chainsaw when a tree blew over in a storm or to help his elderly father take care of his house and finances. He loved helping the neighborhood farmers with their chores and spending time exploring the woods with Shawnna and their dog Jackson. And last, but not least, John loved animals. Over the years, his house was the home for a variety of animals, including a snapping turtle, a snake, a couple of possums, chickens, horses, and a whole series of beloved dogs. John will be sorely missed —by his wife Shawnna, by his friends and family and by his dog Jackson.