Gailyn Larry Larsen passed away on February 2, 2022 in Boca Raton, Florida at the age of 79.
Gailyn was born in Harlan, Iowa on October 17, 1942. He was the son of Ivan Henry Larsen and Alice Louisa (Chipman) Larsen and older brother to Randy, Steven and Diane. He grew up on his family’s farm in Harlan.
Gailyn was a proud graduate of Harlan High School and the University of Nebraska, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with honors (1964) and a Juris Doctor in Law with distinction (1967) finishing fourth in his law class. He remained a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and an avid Cornhusker fan throughout his life.
Gailyn married Linda Jane Booth on August 15, 1964 in Harlan, Iowa. They remained married for 56 years and were separated only by Linda’s death on November 14, 2020.
Gailyn was a loving and devoted husband, father and friend. Those who knew him respected his intelligence, humor, humility and kindness. He loved to share his wisdom through stories, particularly about growing up in agrarian Iowa in the mid-20th century. His parables were filled with lessons bout the importance of family, hard work, self-reliance, perseverance, continuous learning and adventure.
In his professional career, Gailyn enjoyed success in a wide variety of undertakings.
Upon completion of his law degree, Gailyn joined the United States Army where he quickly achieved the rank of Captain. Having completed his military obligations with distinction, he joined the law firm of Acklie & Peterson (Lincoln, Nebraska) in 1969. The firm specialized in motor carrier law serving carriers and shippers nationwide. He became a partner of the firm in 1972 and continued in that capacity until 1979 when he resigned to become an owner and executive at Jay Lines (Dallas, Texas) and Goodway Transport (York, Pennsylvania). He acquired full ownership of Goodway Transport in 1986 and spent the next decade growing the business to over $50 million in annual revenue. Goodway Transport merged with another truckline in 1996.
Gailyn then spent several years as an industry consultant focused on transportation logistics as well as mergers & acquisitions. In 2002, Gailyn founded specialized carrier Bullseye Express (York, Pennsylvania) which he and a partner operated successfully for many years. In 2009, Gailyn actively participated in the acquisition of A&S Services Group along with Larsen MacColl Partners, his son’s private equity firm. He was proud to participate in this partnership which grew the business from $10 million when acquired in 2009 to $130 million when sold in 2016. As a part of this growth, A&S acquired Kinard Transportation (York, Pennsylvania).
During his career, Gailyn received many trucking industry honors including being asked to serve as the President of both the Independent Contractor Division and the Refrigerated Division of the Truckload Carriers Association as well as the President of the National Perishable Logistics Association.
Later in life, Gailyn invested in numerous business and real estate ventures typically alongside his son Jeffrey. His approach to investing was characterized by the principals that he learned as a child working on the family farm: common sense, fair dealing, hard work and patience.
Notwithstanding his exceptional career, Gailyn always prioritized his family life. His wife Linda asked him to her high school prom in 1961, beginning a 60-year love affair. The couple adventured through life together, living in six states: Iowa, Nebraska, Indiana, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Along their journey, they met and enjoyed the company of many lifelong friends.
Gailyn was also a devoted father and grandfather. As a reward for raising his own children with great care, he was blessed to spend time with his granddaughters, Kaitlyn and Amelia, particularly driving the boat as they water skied and tubed. In the final months of his life, he was overjoyed to meet his new grandson, Parker.
He is survived by his daughter Andrea Larsen Hayden (husband Robert and daughters Kaitlyn Louise and Amelia Jane) of Sewickley, Pennsylvania, his son Jeffrey Larsen (fiancée Brittani and son Parker Robert) of Delray Beach, Florida, and his sister Diane Forbes of Carroll, Iowa.
A celebration of Gailyn’s extraordinarily full life will be held in Harlan, Iowa at the Pauley Jones Funeral Home on Monday, August 1st at 3:30 p.m. In honor of Gailyn’s pride in his Shelby County roots, memorial contributions may be made to the Shelby County Historical Museum located in Harlan, Iowa. This museum is preserving two historic log cabins that were built in Shelby County in 1856 and 1857. Your contributions will augment the support of his family who is making a gift to name the historic plaza in honor of Gailyn and Linda Larsen.
Visitation is at 2:00 p.m. on August 1st at Pauley Jones Funeral Home.
Inurnment will be held at the Harlan Cemetery in Harlan, Iowa.
