Kevin Ray LARSON Obituary (2025)

Kevin Ray Larson passed away on January 24th of a brain tumor at the age of 66. He spent the final month of his life comfortably at his home in Yakima, WA surrounded by his family. Kevin was born in Yakima, WA on January 2, 1959. He lived his entire childhood on Finn Hill in Tieton, WA which was an important place to him throughout his whole life. During his childhood and young adulthood, he loved helping his dad on their family farm. Later in his life, he grew hay and apples on Finn Hill, and he stopped to see his mother and play a game of cribbage at his childhood home most days. Kevin grew up loving playing baseball, skiing all winter, fishing, and hunting. As a dad, he taught his girls to ski and supported whatever sports they participated in. He enjoyed many types of hunting and long-range shooting with friends and family. One of his favorite things was his annual prairie dog hunting trip to Montana with his good friend, Dan Flick. In 1988 he moved with his family to Brewster, WA where he worked for Custom Apple Packers. They lived there for five years, and he loved the area and made many friends. After moving back to Yakima, he worked as a fieldman at Roche Fruit for 32 years. He loved working for John and Michael Roche who were both extremely supportive of him over the years. He made life-long friends through his work. He loved navigating each year's harvest, planning out new orchards, and learning and implementing everything he knew about growing the best possible apples. He eventually owned and ran an orchard with his sister Barb on Finn Hill, and he poured his heart into making it the best he could. Family was very important to Kevin. He loved spending time with his wife, girls, and grandchildren as well as his parents, sisters and their families. He was known for taking his two girls to all of their sports practices and attending every game - even if that meant driving hours to watch them play for only a few minutes. He loved giving kids four-wheeler rides, cooking steaks for family, and playing with all the little kids in his life - especially his two grandchildren. Kevin Larson is survived by his wife of 40 years, Julie Larson; their children, Marianne Kihn (Daniel), Amy Winner (Kurt); his grandchildren, Tommy Kihn and Hannah Kihn; his mother, Jean Larson; his sisters Connie Harris (Lynn) and Barb Evans. Kevin is also survived by his nieces and nephews, their children, and many other family and friends who will miss him. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, February 1, 2025 at Brookside Funeral Home (500 W. Prospect, Moxee, WA 98936), with a reception to follow.