Obituary of Joel Lee Larson

Joel Lee Larson was born May 27, 1959 in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Mary Ellen and Elmer Jay Larson. Six weeks after he was born, the family moved to Genoa, Colorado. Joel grew up there and attended Genoa Public School in first through twelfth grade. Joel was not a “model citizen” in school because he had an ornery streak and a quick temper. His pranks and fist-a-cuffs often landed him in the principal’s office. Superintendent Jack Head would ask, “What did you do this time, Joel?” Joel was a hard worker, which began at an early age. He worked at the family business, Genoa Oil Company. He and his brothers changed truck and tractor tires. Joel even accomplished this on the day of a track meet and also the day of his Senior Prom! Joel enlisted in the Marines his senior year. He graduated in 1977 and in July went to boot camp. When he was asked how tough the drill sergeants were, he replied, “I’ve worked for dad (Elmer Larson) all of these years, I can handle them.” He was stationed in Hawaii where many of his family members visited him. He was an intelligence officer and traveled to many parts of the world. He served in the Marines for four and half years. After being discharged from the Marines, Joel decided to pursue a degree from CSU in Fort Collins. The road to a degree was not an easy one for Joel, but he was persistent. He worked at many jobs including UPS and a Texaco station while attending college. In 1990, he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science. He was a loyal employee of Denco Sales, a wholesale sign supply company, for the past 30 years. He was a favorite salesman of many customers in the sign industry. Joel is beloved by his family and friends as a kind and generous person. He has entertained us with his humorous stories and anecdotes. Joel was called to his heavenly home on January 9, 2022. He is preceded in death by his father, Elmer Jay Larson. He is survived by his mother, Mary Ellen Larson, brothers Brian Hundertmark (Beverly), Jeff Larson (Carol), and Karl Larson, sisters Marlys Kossman (Tim) and Sally Kressin (Brian), and numerous nieces, nephews and grand nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins.