Obituary: Larson, Donald Eugene
Born in Spokane on February 27, 1951, he lived in Spokane all his life.
He was preceded in death by his parents Arthur and Edna Larson, brother Robert Larson and nephew Gene Webb.
He is survived by loving partner Janece LaValley, Sheryl Thompson, Donna Svenson and Shay Rickens, Sons Donald Jr, and Jorel Larson, Daughter Shallon and husband Jason Mehr, Stacy Svenson and grandchildren Taylor Ann, Christian John, Riley Kathryn and Livia Dawn Mehr, Chase Micheals, Jaden Lynn, many nieces and nephews; his siblings Glenda Bakken and husband Gary, Susan Larson, Lonnie Larson and wife Nelda, Gayle Larson and husband John Strong, Dee Dee Webb and husband Charles and Christopher Larson.
Don was born to sing and play … changed forever by seeing Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show which ignited his passion from his first band the “Scandals” to the wildly successful “Wilson McKinely” The 70’s brought change for everyone and Don performed in the areas finest original groups including The Universal Joint, Tender Green, Alibi and Foxglove In the 80’s he and close friend Ben Staley formed the groups Whiskers & the Larson Staley Band spending the better part of that decade entertaining their fans nightly at the Stockyards Inn.
We are confident Don and Ben are singing and playing in the hereafter.
In 1987 Don formed the powerhouse group “Don Larson & the Cyinics” which for nearly 20 yrs featured some of Spokane’s finest players and music delivering a top-notch product at many of the areas top venues.
He completed his live performance career making music with a few close friends in the beautiful setting of CDA Lake appearing nightly on the resorts floating stage.
His marvelous voice also reached into your living rooms and automobiles through a plethora of commercial jingles from the CDA Casino to the Northtown Mall and many more.
He owned and operated several recording studios where he honed his craft to the benefit of many satisfied clients which allowed him to pursue his passion for writing and recording his own music, culminating in his mid 90’s release “Private Storm” an epic look into his heart.
He was truly “A Man of Music” When diagnosed with ALS he began to assemble a website with personal notes, songs, writings and band photos, please honor his life by visiting “donlarson.org”.
His family wishes to thank the wonderful people at Horizon Hospice.
A Memorial service will be held at 3:30pm on Saturday, February 23rd, at Center Point Event Facility, 1408 N Washington St., Spokane.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations in his name may be sent to the ALS Society of Spokane.
The ALS Association, Evergreen Chapter, 19110 68th Ave S, Suite H-105 Kent, WA 98032.
SPOKANE CREMATION & FUNERAL SERVICE