John Jay Larson

John Jay Larson was born on April 16, 1948, in Great Falls, MT. He was the youngest son of Arthur and Mary Ann Larson, and brother to Art and Richard Larson.

John attended Longfellow Elementary, Paris Junior High, and Great Falls High. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, trains, and cars. His pride and joy was a 1965 Yellow Ford Mustang. John had many friends whom he cherished and spent a lot of time with sharing countless hours of hunting, fishing, and telling stories accompanied by beers. John was a likeable and generous man, spreading his light across the community for over 70 years.

John enlisted in the U.S. Army on May 15, 1969. He spent time in Texas and Georgia. This was a period in his life that he did not share with many. Shortly after returning home, John married Judy Baughton. To this union, John A Larson was born.

In January 1975, John was with his buddies at the Brothers 3. The drinks took their course, resulting in John falling into Leann’s lap. On February 2, 1975, John and Leann went on their first date. They became newlyweds on February 18, 1978. Four years later, his eldest daughter, Heather, was born. Six years later, Nichole was born, making their family complete.

John was a very busy father to his two daughters while Leann worked late. A lot of the time was spent going to the local pizza parlor together after school. John’s daughters loved poking fun at their dad, but he loved every second of it. John had a protective yet sweet way of raising his daughters. He was the proudest girl-dad of them all.

He was very proud of the years he spent with Buttrey Foods, followed by another four years at Albertsons. John created lifelong friendships with endless co-workers and customers. Shortly after John medically retired, he missed the special interactions he shared with his customers, leading him to work seasonally for the Salvation Army for 5 years, and MetroPark during the summer.

John was the proudest grandpa to seven grandchildren, and one bonus grandson, as John would say. He loved taking his grandchildren on lawn mower rides, bike rides, and Dairy Queen trips. He always spent his time creating memories with each grandchild and left behind the shoelaces in the tissue box where he taught each grandchild how to tie their shoes. He always made it known how proud he was of his grandchildren, but he was much prouder of the fact that they all got his “Larson big toe.”

If you knew John, you knew his beloved Bella, his dachshund puppy of 14 years. They watched the news every morning and evening together, watched the cars pass by the house in the summer, and shared about every meal together. After Bella passed, all he wanted was a baby dachshund for Christmas.

John enjoyed many things. He loved his sugar-free popsicles and Dr. Pepper. He loved mowing lawns for those in need. He dressed up as Santa Claus and listened to everyone’s wishes. He spent time every holiday putting up decorations for the community to enjoy. Watching the Griz and Seahawks play were also on John’s list of favorite pastimes. John and Leann loved taking long drives together to watch the elk migrate. He also loved having conversations, even if he repeated the same story multiple times. When asked how he was doing, he would always say, “If I was any better, I’d be twins.”

John passed away peacefully on October 18, 2025, at the age of 77. He was surrounded by his wife, daughters, and grandchildren. He survived many health complications making the last three years very difficult for himself and his family.

He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Leann Larson; daughters, Heather Dreher and Nichole Larson; sons-in-law, Zach Dreher and Marvin Lat; and grandchildren, Atriana, Kaydence, Gage, Damon, Kyger, Azelia, and Riley.

A celebration of life will take place at Hillcrest Lawn Memorial Chapel on Thursday, October 30, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. with a reception following at the Salvation Army.