Jon Larson

OXFORD - Jon E. Larson, 79, of Woodland Drive, died Tuesday, March 19, 2013, at UMass Memorial Medical Center - University Campus, in Worcester. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Betty L. (Edlin) Larson of Oxford; four children, Elaine L. Larson and her husband Publio Pintado of Ciudad Real, Spain, Karen A. Massa and her husband Ralph of Douglas, Linda E. Larson of Oxford, and Jon E. Larson Jr. of Oxford; a brother, Carl Larson of Shrewsbury; four grandchildren, Breanna Mirabito, Brendan Mirabito, Carmen Pintado Larson, and Oscar Pintado Larson; and two great grandchildren, Cody Coonrod and Owen Coonrod. He was predeceased by two brothers, Ralph Larson and Roy Larson. He was born in Worcester, the son of the late Gustaf and Ruth (Quanstrom) Larson, and lived in Worcester and Auburn before moving to Oxford 53 years ago. He graduated from Worcester Boys Trade High School in 1952, attended Worcester Junior College, and graduated from Clark University in 1962. Mr. Larson was the president of Engineered Diamond Products in Oxford. Previously, he was an industrial engineer and technical buyer at American Optical in Southbridge. In his retirement, he spent 10 happy years as the head custodian at the Chaffee School in Oxford. Mr. Larson was an all-star football player in high school, coached Pop Warner football for many years, and enjoyed hunting, fishing, and gardening. He served 2 years on the Oxford School Committee and was chairman of the building committee for the high school completed in the 1970's. He was a member of the 200 Sportsmen Club for over 50 years and held various positions in the organization including the role of Santa Claus at the children's holiday party. Calling hours are Saturday, March 23, 2013, from 2-4 p.m. at Paradis Funeral Home, 357 Main St., Oxford. A funeral service will be held on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. in the funeral home at the conclusion of calling hours. Burial will be private at North Cemetery in Oxford. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-1942.