Florence Larson, 94, of Troy
Florence Marie Larson, 94, of Troy died April 8, 2013, at the Libby Care Center of natural causes.
She was born Dec. 12, 1918, in Troy to Bert and Nora Coffman, the third of five children. She attended school in Troy.
Florence graduated from Spokane Deaconess Hospital as a registered nurse in 1940, president of her class. She married Ove Larson on Jan. 1, 1941. They lived in Libby and Florence worked at St. John’s Lutheran Hospital until their first child was born. They moved to Troy in 1950 and bought Coffman Motors in 1964.
Ove and Florence had three children, who includeDaniel Ove, Barbara Irene and Herbert Rodney; five grandchildren, Laurie Ann, Marcia Annette, Mark Leigh, Mathew Rodney and Sarah Johanna; and nine great-grandchildren.
Florence spent her life serving others. She was a member of Troy United Methodist Church, Libby Jr. Woman’s Club, Troy PTA, CVCC golf and Montana Senior Golf Association, and was a charter member of the Troy Business and Professional Club. In the ’50s, she established a children’s used clothing store in Troy. She was a charter member of Troy Takima Club.
In 1979, Florence was named Takima Club “Woman of the Year”. During the years Dan and Herb played baseball, Florence was Official Scorekeeper for Little League through Libby-Troy Legion teams. Ove and Florence were named the 1999 Senior Citizens of the Year. They worked tirelessly to raise funds for the new Troy Medical Complex. Florence was a Red Cross Volunteer for over 40 years. She kept the books and ran the parts department at Coffman Motors and later for Larson Lumber.
She was preceded in death by an infant daughter lost at birth in 1951; a son, Herb, lost to bone cancer in 1964; a son, Dan, lost to cancer in 2007; and a great-granddaughter, Anna Hope, lost to heart complications in 2010.
Funeral services for Florence will be 2 p.m. Saturday, April 13, 2013, at Troy United Methodist Church. Visitation will be 1-8 p.m. Friday, April 12, 2013, at Schnackenberg & Nelson Funeral Home in Libby.