Eileen Marjorie (Hansen) Larsen, age 88, of Rochester, Minnesota passed away peacefully at Riverbend Memory Care in Rochester, MN on July 19th, 2023.
Eileen was born May 31st, 1935, in a home in rural Rochester, MN and grew up in Rock Dell, MN. She was born to Milford and Myrtle Hansen and grew up on the family farm. She had three siblings, Marion Yngsdall of Hayfield, MN, Larry Hansen of Byron, MN, and was proceeded in death by an infant brother in 1943. Eileen attended Kasson school and graduated in 1953. Growing up, she worked at the Rock Dell Telephone Company, as a waitress, and for Mayo Clinic. Her love story began when she met her husband, William (Bill) Richard Larsen. They married on February 24th, 1954, at St. Francis church in Rochester, MN. Bill and Eileen built a truck farming produce business together. Eileen worked in all aspects of the business, but most enjoyed delivering produce to the Rochester grocery stores and surrounding towns. She was a homemaker and raised five children. Bill and Eileen also were very compassionate and opened their home to many in need.
Eileen is survived by her five children, Cheryl Haack of Stewartville, MN, Shirly Larsen (Mark Nelson) of Rochester, MN, Richard Larsen of Rochester, MN, Mary (Gorden) Sorensen of San Tan, AZ, and Jim (Gloria) Larsen of Mesa, AZ. She has 10 grandchildren with 16 great grandchildren, and 2 great great grandchildren. Her siblings, Marion (Carl) Yngsdall and Larry (Mary) Hansen. Eileen was proceeded in death by her beloved husband William (Bill) Larsen, her parents, Milford and Myrtle Hansen, her baby brother, and son-in-law Rick Haack.
In life, Eileen had many diverse interests and pastimes. As a young woman she loved watching Semi-trucks and was fascinated by their size and strength. That translated later in life in her love of delivering their produce and building relationships with the diverse stores they serviced through their business. With her produce connections she developed a green thumb and loved to have beautiful flower gardens that she loved to decorate with figurines and fountains. Her children and grandchildren hold fond memories of days spent playing at the farm amongst the trees, flowers, and farm buildings. She loved watching the wildlife in her yard, especially the squirrels and birds that she kept well fed. Eileen had a fondness for music and dancing. Her children enjoyed singing with her as she strummed on her guitar. Eileen and Bill spent a lot of time with friends at their local VF and bars where they went dancing every Saturday night. They were both very devoted Viking football fans and that played a large part in their time spent with family and friends as well. Even with all these interests she always had her hair done up in her own unique way, beautiful rings filled every finger, and had her nails polished and decorated. Later in life Eileen loved spending time with her beloved sassy kitty “Missy”. Eileen was a character from her one liners and sarcastic sense of humor to her shiny fashion sense. Her strong foundation in the family and spark will be greatly missed.
Join us in celebrating Eileen’s beautiful life on September 9th from 1:00PM to 3:00PM at Ranfranz & Vine Remembrance and Reception Center, 5482 Royal Place NW Rochester, MN 55901. A light lunch will be served throughout with a short service starting at 2:00PM. Please bring your stories and fond memories to share. Burial to follow at East Saint Olaf Cemetery, 6200 Country Rd 3 SW Byron, MN 55920.
Memories and condolences of Eileen may be shared at rochestercremationservicesmn.com
