On May 7th, 2026, Larry Gene Engelsen passed away peacefully at the age of 91.

Larry was born in a farmhouse during the Great Depression in Hawley, Minnesota. His parents saw their future being in the West, so they packed the family into their Model A Ford and headed to Washington State, eventually settling in the Scandinavian area of Ballard.

Larry graduated from Ballard High School in 1952 and attended Central Washington University, where he took degrees in biology and education.  He completed a master's degree in school psychology at Northern Colorado State University and a PhD in special education administration at The University of Oregon. He spent seven summers working as a machinist in the salmon canneries of Alaska to put himself through school and has fond memories of his time there.

Larry began his career as a science and math teacher in Puyallup, Washington and then moved to Vancouver, Washington, where he was a school psychologist. He was on the faculty at the University of Oregon and then moved to Tacoma, WA, where he spent the last 20 years of his professional career as a special education administrator.  He was president of the Washington State Council for Exceptional Children and served on the board of the Tacoma area Campfire organization for several years.

Larry's great joy was spending time with his children and grandchildren. He took his role as Papa very seriously and adored his seven grandsons. He loved to have his family join him for vacations around the country and especially enjoyed his visits to the mountains and beaches of the Pacific Northwest, where he could indulge his love of seafood.

He was equally serious about his hobbies. He was an instrument rated private pilot and an avid target shooter who enjoyed loading his own bullets and computing standard deviations on the accuracy of his shots. He was a committed University of Oregon fan and never missed an opportunity to cheer on the Ducks.

Larry's superpower was his ability to make people feel at ease, and he built relationships with others everywhere he went.  He had a wicked sense of humor and used it freely to offer his unique perspective on life.  Larry had systems in place for even the most mundane tasks, known as "Larry Things" to his family. And he LOVED his people.  He was always ready to help with his time, advice, and hugs.

He is held in loving memory by his wife Karen Roth; his children Lynn  (Lee) Thompson, Sara (Michael) Ferguson, and Ken Engelsen; his stepdaughters Brenda (Mark) Stursma and Corinne (Brad) Simon; his seven grandsons Ryan (Becca) Cotter, Luke Stursma, Matt Stursma, Troyer Swartz, Eli Thompson, Carlin Swartz, and Spencer Simon. He is predeceased by his parents, Harold and Fern Krakow Engelsen, and his brother Gay (Dianne) Engelsen.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, May 15th, 2026, at Miller Funeral Home Southside Chapel (7400 S Minnesota Ave) in Sioux Falls, SD. A visitation, with family present, will take place one hour before the start of the service. Inurnment will be at Woodlawn Cemetery in Sioux Falls, SD.