OBITUARY: Frederic Valentine Larson, 86

Below is an obituary from Nichols Funeral Home:

WILMINGTON, MA — Frederic Valentine Larson, of Wilmington, died peacefully on November 27, 2023 at the Sawtelle Hospice House in Reading following complications from end stage kidney failure. Fred had courageously battled renal failure the last six years of his life through constant dialysis treatments. He was 86 years old.

A friend to all who knew him, Fred was quick to ask the names of everyone who crossed his path, including those who cared for him until his death. He had the gift of gab, a sharp wit, a lifelong passion for jazz, a notorious sweet tooth and loved anything to do with transportation, boats, trains, planes and automobiles. He was always willing to share his opinion on all matters far and wide, whether he was asked or not.

A logistician by trade, Fred worked in various transportation companies eventually becoming vice president of St. Johnsbury Trucking in the late 1970s. He started his own trucking company, Cape Ann Transport, in 1986. He would later work for Cardinal Health delivering nuclear medicine to hospitals throughout New England. He loved driving so much, that if you were traveling anywhere in the northeast, Fred could likely tell you the fastest route. His love of the road also applied to railways, knowing the engines, routes and likely cargoes of trains traveling throughout the country, and the airways, in which he would ask family members what runway number had they landed on at Logan Airport. His boating trips with his wife and three children were the stuff of family legend.

Fred grew up in Wakefield and Reading, a 1955 graduate of Wakefield High School. He served as a member of the National Guard at Camp Curtis Guild in Reading, MA. His father, Eric Larson, a Swedish immigrant, owned and operated Larson Egg Farm in Wakefield where Fred started working as a young boy shoveling out the hen houses, a hot and smelly job anytime of the year. Fred’s mother, Florence (Hoag) Larson, came from a large, musical family of nine. Her father, Clarence Hoag, single-handedly designed and built Castle Clare on Acorn Ave in Wakefield over a 16-year period in the 1930s and 40s with Fred often helping his grandfather after school. He was very proud of his family’s heritage, sharing the history with his family.

Fred lived with his first wife, Barbara and their three children Eric, Sten and Kara on Middlesex Avenue in Wilmington. All three children graduated from Wilmington High School in the 1980s. He passed on many traits to his children including a love of music, the virtue of a job well done, seemingly internal GPS tracking systems in which they are never lost and an unwillingness to suffer lousy drivers clogging the roadways with their ineptitude. After divorce, Fred lived in Rockport, Vermont, Gloucester and Melrose before settling back in Wilmington with his second wife of six years, Anita Backman.

He was a member of many fraternal organizations including, North Reading Masonic Lodge, Gloucester Elks, Aleppo Shriners in Wilmington, where he captained the Temple Guard in parades throughout New England, Cape Ann Shrine Club, Boston Court 103 Royal Order of Jesters, as well as volunteering often at the Shriners Children’s Hospital. He loved to sun himself on the beaches of Cape Ann throughout his life especially at Good Harbor Beach, sitting in the same spot every weekend for decades. He passed on his love of jazz to his children and he saw some incredible acts including drummer Buddy Rich threaten to fire his entire band during the intermission of a performance in Framingham and Duke Ellington Band’s famous 1956 Newport Jazz Festival set, which included the historic performance of Diminuendo in Blue and Crescendo in Blue, punctuated by a 27-chorus solo by saxophone player, Paul Gonsalves. Stan Getz, Erroll Garner, Dave Brubeck and Stan Kenton were some of his favorite acts.

Fred is survived by his son Eric and his wife, Tammy, his son Sten and wife, Melissa and his daughter, Kara and husband, Anthony. He is also survived by his wife, Anita Backman, his grandchildren Alexandra, Hope and her fiancé, Pat Dunn, Reed, his wife, Autumn, Natalie, Joseph and Stella. In addition, he is survived by his sister Margot Johnson and sister Karen and brother-in-law Stephen Collings, cousin Brad Davis, many nieces and nephews, Anita’s children Carl and Janet and granddaughter, Jessie.

There will be a private celebration of Fred’s life following holidays.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Shriners Children’s Hospital in Boston.