Aage Woodrow Larsen

Aage Woodrow Larsen, 91, of Hartford went to be with his Lord and Savior on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, at Lakeland Regional Medical Center in St. Joseph.

Aage was born Feb. 22, 1922, in Benton Harbor, the son of Aage and Ruth (Sturm) Larsen, both of whom preceded him in passing. He was also preceded in passing by his wife, Hildreth; a daughter, Renee; a brother, Wayne; devoted partner and friend, Evelyn Pawling; and two sons-in-law, Jerry Thompson and Bill Groenke.

Aage proudly served his country as a member of the United States Navy during World War II. He was formerly employed with New Products of Benton Harbor and the Watervliet Paper Mill from 1940-1956. After leaving there, he worked in the construction field for the remainder of his working life. He was a big sports fanatic, especially as a diehard fan of the Detroit Lions and Detroit Tigers. He was a member of VFW Post 355, American Legion Post 93 and AmVets. In his spare time, he loved fishing and keeping his yard looking nice.

Aage was a beloved father, who is survived by three children: Lawrence "Larry" (Robyn) Larsen of Hartford, Denise Groenke of Eau Claire and Brian (Ann) Larsen of Coloma; and family friend, Mary Pawling of Kalamazoo. He was a loving grandfather of numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

The family will welcome friends from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, at Hartford Federated Church, where he was a loyal member. The service to honor his memory will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, at the church, with Pastor David Gilbert officiating. Cremation will take place, and burial at a later date will occur in Watervliet Cemetery. The family requests memorial donations in Aage's name to the church or any veterans' charity. The family has entrusted Calvin Funeral Home, Hartford, with handling the arrangements. Those wishing to leave memorial condolences in Aage's name may do so at http://www.calvin-leonardfh.com.