Martin "Vargen" Larsson

1926 - 2019

Martin "Vargen" Larsson

Martin passed on Saturday June 8th, 2019 in Seattle, Wa. He was born January 15, 1926 on a rural farm outside Kping, Sweden. His parents Henning and Olga (Sundberg) were farmers and struggled to make ends meet during the depression and war in Europe. He started working at a young age in the woods and had only a grade school education before he was hired out to local farmers; he also served in the Swedish military. He worked logging and farming but his passion was soccer and he became a local football star that everyone knew simply as "Vargen" (the wolf) for his cunning and speed. He finished his soccer career playing in the Swedish Soccer league (rebro).

Always an adventurer, he set off to "Amerika for a year" in 1957. From then on he would always have one foot in the new world and one in the old. He soon joined the fishing industry in Alaska where he spent 23 years, mostly crab fishing in the Bering Sea. He was proud of being part owner in building and operating the most modern crab vessel at the time, the top performing F/V Bering Sea. In 1966 he married his true love, a pretty Dutch girl named Florence (Brinks) and they had two children. After retiring from fishing, he built condominiums and maintained other properties he had invested in.

Known as a hard worker he never sat still; a jack of all trades he could do or fix anything. At age 70 he built another condo together with his son and daughter. In his leisure time he was x-country skiing, hiking, bicycling and gardening and traversing the world into his late 80's. To the end people marveled at his strength, despite living years with Parkinson's; this was due to sheer determination. He was active at the Swedish club and attended UPC Church. He loved most of all to be back on the farm in Sweden surrounded by family and was last there in September. He was a great (hambo) dancer and loved to sing his favorite Swedish songs. Though he was admired and respected for his accomplishments it was his quiet, humble charm and twinkle in his blue eyes that inevitably always drew people to him.

Martin was preceded in death by his two younger brothers in Sweden, Bertil and Uno. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Florence, and children Karl (Arlene) and Marci in Seattle, as well as his sister Alice and a large extended family in Sweden.

Celebration of Life will be at University Presbyterian Church (4540 15th NE, Seattle) on

July 1 at 1 pm. Donations may be made in Martin's honor to

www.apdaparkinson.org

Please sign Martin's online Guestbook at www.Legacy.com.