Barbara Jean Larsen, the daughter of Edward and Ruby (Highly) Dunn, was born August 18, 1926 in Atlantic, Iowa and died February 17, 2021, at the Exira Care Center in Exira, Iowa at the age of 94 years, 5 months, and 29 days.
Barbara was baptized and confirmed at the Methodist Church in Atlantic. She attended the Atlantic Community Schools, graduating with the High School Class of 1944. After she graduated, the family moved to California.
On December 28, 1944 she was united in marriage to Harvey B. Larsen. They were blessed with three children: Sandy, Edward, and Sherrill. Harvey was in the U.S. Amy and was stationed in California. They moved to California, and she lived with her parents when Harvey was shipped overseas. Harvey was honorably discharged and they stayed in California for several years until they returned to Exira in the late 1940s. Barbara was a homemaker during the time the children were growing up. In 1967, they purchased Minerman Motors. Then in the early 1970s, Barbara became the bookkeeper at the dealership until she retired in December of 2004. Harvey died in July of 2005. Barbara lived in her home until she moved to the Exira Care Center in 2017.
Barbara was member of the Exira Lutheran Church in Exira and was active in the Ladies’ Circle. Barbara and Harvey enjoyed traveling, especially to California and Florida to visit relatives. She loved eating chocolate, doing word scrambles, and playing bridge and having coffee with her friends. Barbara enjoyed baking cookies and brownies and was an avid Iowa State Cyclone and University of Iowa Hawkeye football fan. But the time she cherished most was that spent with her family, especially the grandchildren.
Barbara was preceded in death by her husband, Harvey B. Larsen; her son, Edward Larsen; her grandsons, Brook Larsen and Damon Huffman; her parents; her brother-in-law, Don Waste, and her sisters-in-law, Gladys and husband Ernest Jessen and Irene and husband George Jorgensen.
Survivors include her daughters, Sandy and husband Reverend Gordon Buchholz and Sherrill and husband Larry Huffman, all of Audubon, Iowa; her grandchildren: Robert Hansen of Atlantic, Iowa: Christopher Hansen of Norwalk, Iowa; McKenzie and husband Steve Flathers of Brayton, Iowa; and Kalin and husband Mike Birkel of Minneapolis, Minnesota; her great-grandchildren, Karina Hansen and Reese Hansen, both of West Palm Beach, Florida, and Aiden Flathers and Brooklyn Flathers, both of Brayton, Iowa; her sister, Carolyn Waste of San Diego, California; as well as nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
The family will meet with friends on Monday afternoon, February 22, 2021, from 12:00 p.m. until the time of the service at the Exira Lutheran Church in Exira, Iowa. Funeral services will be conducted by Pastor Steven Frock on Monday afternoon, February 22, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. at the Exira Lutheran Church. Interment will be in the Exira Cemetery in Exira. The honorary casket bearer will be Larry Johnson. The casket bearers will be Mike Birkel, Robert Hansen, Christopher Hansen, Greg Baier, Gary Vais, and Mitch Munch.
Barbara’s funeral service will be livestreamed on KESSLER FUNERAL HOMES INC. Facebook page.
1. You will need a Facebook account to view the service, and make sure you are logged into Facebook.
2. To get to our Facebook page, return to our website at www.kesslerfuneralhome.com, scroll to the bottom of any page and click the circle “f” button, which will take you directly to our business Facebook page.
3. We begin the live feed of the service 2-3 minutes prior to the start of the service, so anytime before that, you will NOT see the video. If you refresh your Facebook browser at the time of the service, the video will appear right at the top of the page for you.
4. If you experience difficulties viewing the broadcast at the time of the service, please understand we must conduct the service and are not available to assist with troubleshooting. But the recording will remain on our Facebook page for additional viewing opportunities, and you can call us at the funeral home and we would be happy to help you locate the video after the service has ended.
