Larry Roy Olpin

Larry Roy Olpin passed away at home on May 24, 2024. Larry was 85 years old.
Larry was born in Fillmore, Utah, on June 4, 1938, to Roy D. and Arlene C. Olpin. He grew up in Fillmore with his three brothers in the funeral home of the family's mortuary business. Larry is preceded in death by his older brothers, Roger and Owen. Larry is survived by his younger brother, Ed.
After graduating from Millard High School in Fillmore, Larry attended Utah State University in Logan, Utah, where he met the love of his life, Margaret Gayle Muir. Margaret and Larry were married in Logan on August 10, 1962, and shared their lives together for over 61 years and had four children, Rex, Alan, Matt and Ann.
Larry continued his education at the University of Utah, where he discovered his love for literature. He graduated with both a bachelor's and master's degree in English from the University of Utah. Larry and Margaret traveled across the country to pursue a Ph.D. in English at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The focus of his dissertation was the poetry of Emily Dickinson.
Larry began his teaching career in 1969 at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Missouri, where he taught continuously until his retirement in 2001, except for two years when he taught at Bosphorus University in Istanbul, Turkey, as a Fulbright Scholar in American Literature and a semester abroad in London. During his time teaching, he spent time leading the English department as the chair of the department.
During his career, Larry spent time searching used bookstores for rare books to add to his personal home library. He also became one of the top collectors of Civil War novels, specifically novels set in Missouri. Over the years, he built an impressive collection of rare Emily Dickinson books, Civil War novels and a collection of books based on rivers in the United States.
In retirement, Larry spent his time focused on his hobbies. Larry established himself in the local community as a Master Gardener and member of the local tree board. He spent countless hours working in the yard with Margaret at their home in Warrensburg and shared many vegetables with neighbors. Birding became a passion for Larry as he pursued birds around the country, eventually seeing 600 different species of birds. Larry and Margaret also traveled the country to see the adventures of their 13 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
The family appreciates the outpouring of love and well wishes extended at this time. Larry will be missed by all who knew him, and all would agree that he was a jolly good fellow.