Steven Arlo Larsen

Steven Arlo Larsen passed away April 1, 2023, of pancreatic cancer. At age 72 he had lived a full and adventurous life. He was born in Logan to Clyde Arlo Larsen and Bonne Faye Thornley, and they moved to Bountiful when Steve started school. They would move many times along the Wasatch Front, in fact Steve used to joke that he didn’t think he ever finished a year of school at the same place he started. By high school, his family moved to North Ogden and that’s where he met Jaylene Burdess who would become his wife. He tells the story, “I had to ask her to marry me three times before she said yes, and by then I was just kidding.” But it was meant to be. The couple married in 1972 and a year later began their family, eventually having four children, Cami, Jami, Rami, and Sam.

At first Steve worked as a mechanic in his father’s shop, but he quickly progressed to work for Sweeney Machine, FlameCo, Utility Trailer, Intermountain Power Plant, Western Zirconium, and others, including driving a dump truck to help build the Antelope Island Causeway. He would tell his children, “I helped build this road out here in the middle of the lake!” He was quite proud of this and all of the work that he did, which made his kids proud of him, too. He retired from Kimberly-Clark in 2009, and all the while he kept a shop of his own on the side as he saw the value in having his own business and being an entrepreneur like his Grandpa Nephi. Often referring to himself as a jack of all trades, he was a great mechanic and an expert welder. He eventually moved his shop to a large garage at his residence where he occasionally built and sold trailers and fixed cars, regularly maintained and rebuilt every kids’ bike in the neighborhood, helped with the scouting program, and found the time to tinker at his passion for blacksmithing that he learned from his grandfather as well as metal art.

Somewhere along the way his children grew up and began to have children of their own. Many camping trips in the camp trailer with 4-wheelers, motorcycles, fishing gear, dutch oven cooking, and of course sketchbooks fill the years. The grandkids took up a love for drawing with him through color pencils, charcoal, watercolor, and oil paints. A creative at heart, Steve was a member of many art classes and clubs including a blacksmithing group called ABANA, the Palette Club of Ogden, and participated many years at the Mountain Man Rendezvous. He always had a love for learning and took on challenges so he could master new things. His vacation travels took him to faraway places like Italy, Jamaica, Bahamas, Mexico, Alaska, New Orleans, Nashville, but some of his favorite trips were closer to home like St. George, Sedona, and Idaho. He was a master of puzzles and games of strategy. He loved a good joke and always had a new joke to tell. He was fun and funny. He loved his family and they love him.

He often went by his initials simply as SAL, but his favorite name is what the grandkids call him, “Papa.” He has 7 grandchildren, Kaiya (Reiken), Paitlyn, Paris, Azure, Jakenna, Hudson, and Knyli, along with 2 bonus grandchildren, Andrew and Thomas, and 2 great-grandchildren, Niall and Coralee.

Steve is survived by his wife, Jaylene Burdess Larsen, and his children, Cami (Steve) Orr, Jami (Ken) Hughes, Rami Huntington, and Sam Larsen. He is also survived by his brother and best friend, Brent Larsen, as well as siblings Jerry Larsen and Linda Going. He is preceded in death by his parents, a sister Janet Greathouse, and nephew Kaleb Larsen.

Funeral Services will be held on Friday, April 7 at 11 a.m. at Lindquist’s Roy Mortuary, 3333 W. 5600 S. Friends may visit with family on Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. and on Friday from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. at the mortuary.