Earl L. Larson

In Memory of Earl L. Larson

June 9, 1942 - April 7, 2025

Earl Lloyd Larson, age 82 of rural Clear Lake, WI, passed away on April 7, 2025, at his home, surrounded by his family.

Earl was born on June 9, 1942, in Superior, WI, the oldest son of Clifford & Laverne (Booth) Larson. The family moved to Spooner, and then to rural Clear Lake where Earl attended Sunnyside Country School and graduated from Clear Lake High School in 1960. Earl married his high school sweetheart, Patricia Ann Madden, on August 25, 1961, at Moe Lutheran Church in Clear Lake, WI. Together they made their home in rural Clear Lake where they farmed until moving to town where Earl owned and operated Earl’s Body Shop. One day on lunch break each separately saw and fell in love with a sweet little farm for sale just north of Clear Lake. He called her to tell her, and she was already sold. They have lived there for over 50 years.

Earl and Pat had three children: Laurie, Richard, and Wendy. Among his many stories and anecdotes, Earl often shared about his kids’ accomplishments noting that they “must have done something right to have such great kids.” He expected a lot; sometimes to a fault. But the wisdom, work ethic, and strength he taught was incomparable. Earl was a good teacher as he shared his knowledge of farming, music, carpentry/building, car repair, and marketing with his kids and many, many friends he took under his wing. He also loved big machinery, acquiring two cranes, a road grader, many Oliver tractors, and skid steers. He was creative, having built unique vehicles combining parts of various donor vehicles. The Oil-iver still graces the front lawn display, and Ollie the Truckster appeared in a Clear Lake Days parade.

Earl was a hard worker and he was ingenious. He saw a problem and thought about it until he figured it out, often solving things while he slept. Before he could even read, his favorite book was Tommy Tractor. It was about a farmer who rescued an old, abandoned tractor. He said that book shaped his love for fixing things. He worked at various endeavors such as Earl’s Body Shop where he artfully repaired and restored vehicles. His kids and grandkids were all fortunate to be covered by “the warranty,” which saw him fixing their cars for years. L Rancho Farms, their hobby farm, had a variety of animals who all loved Earl as much as he loved them. From “vanilla pigs” to Jersey cows, English Bulldogs, and a Potbelly pig named Oprah. Earl even convinced his kids that rock picking was “fun”. Whether it was “all part of being cool” or “he knew a girl like that once”, everything was a story in the making, and probably a funny story at that. He was innovative and inventive. With L Rancho Barns, Earl built small yard buildings years before they became popular, many still standing 30+ years later. He was uncompromising. He worked in construction, building commercial and residential buildings and remodeling homes. He pioneered going south to get rust-free body parts with Earl’s Body Parts, known for the legendary 1% markup. He also tracked down parts for people through the vast network of friends he built over the years—because wherever Earl went, he didn’t just visit… he made friends and left a lasting impression.

But his true passion was music. His vocal ability was a natural talent, but he also worked hard to master it. In school, he sang with the DELL 4, along with the choir, and played in the school band. Just after high school, he was recruited to join the Singing Sergeants, a small, elite Air Force group based out of New York; however, he declined the offer because he loved this area and wanted to start a family. People called him “The Voice” before it was a TV-show. He sang for many weddings and funerals. He played bass guitar in the Fandrays for many years and was responsible for bringing the street dance to Clear Lake Days which he played every year for over 30 years. His other bands were Wild Mountain Blueberry, Ramblin’ Fever, Bootleg, and Lariat. His solo career revolved around karaoke—and like everything he did, Earl gave it his all, becoming one of the most sought-after in the area and even recruiting other KJs and selling karaoke systems and music. We didn’t call him EarlKJ for nothing!

Known for his humor and smile, Earl lived to help others. He said he lived on the highway because he wanted to help if someone broke down. He rescued animals and people, often hiring those who needed a leg up. It was not unusual for him to have a few spare vehicles to lend if someone was in need. He used his talents and positive attitude to brighten others’ day. But, he was no stranger to the rain. The family faced heartbreak, losing everything not once, but three times to devastating fires on the farm. Each blaze took more than just buildings—it took pieces of their lives. But each time, Earl was unshakable. When faced with tragedy, he responded by taking control. He responded to life’s trials by doing things like building his grandkids awesome playhouses, taking his family and neighbors on vacation, and buying a motorhome they took south to winter in Arizona. There, he even managed to scrounge up truck parts to haul home on his notorious loads. Earl had beautiful handwriting—we said he had his own font. His autograph was pure Earl: confident, cool, and unforgettable like the local rock star he was. He enjoyed wheelin’ & dealin’, classifieds, and in-person auctions were some of his favorite pastimes right up to the very end. He made such an impression on the auctioneer that they even moved the auction to Clear Lake—just so he could be there. Perhaps most memorable was the custom dialect he spoke—sometimes understood only by him. He often tossed in made-up words like “ka-ji’-us” and “high spud,” turning every story into something uniquely Earl. There were more than a few of us who “spoke Earl.”

Earl was blessed with nine grandkids and five great-grandkids. Later in life, he found he also was part of another family. He was so glad to find them and be able to call them brothers.

He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Silas & Nina Booth and Alfred & Emma Larson; parents, Clifford & Laverne Larson; in-laws, Lewis & Evelyn Madden; sister, Beverly Schuna and brother-in-law, Eugene Schuna; grandson, Korbin Bigelow;

Survived by
Wife - Patricia Larson, Clear Lake, WI
Daughters - Laurie (Joe) Bigelow, North Saint Paul, MN
Wendy (Dennis) Schoggins, Clear Lake, WI
Son - Richard (Marylou) Larson, Reedsburg, WI
Grandchildren -
Keisha (Jake) Wiese, Minneapolis, MN
Dylan (KD) Bigelow, Little Canada, MN
Charlee (Hiba) Larson, San Francisco, CA
Frankie Larson, Madison, WI
Erik (Bridget) Larson, Dallas, TX
Jeremy (Gene) Schoggins, Memphis, TN
Chris Schoggins, Riverside, CA
Tena Schoggins, Clear Lake, WI
Great-Grandchildren - Cora & Ellis Dharam, Daniel & Adalyn Wiese, Skylah Schoggins
Brothers - David (Vickie) Larson, Douglas Larson
Bonus Brothers - Dean Tronrud, Dale Tronrud
Many Relatives & Friends