Larry Madsen, 73

Larry Allan Madsen, 73, extraordinary husband, father, and friend, passed away peacefully at home with his wife Mary, daughter Erin, and their dog Lucy near him in the early morning hours of Thursday, June 25. He died following a five and a half year's hard fought battle against metastatic melanoma.

Larry was born on August 24, 1952, to Allan and Marilyn Madsen in Owatonna, Minnesota, graduating from high school in 1970. He attended the Univ. of Minnesota, Mankato State Univ., and Bemidji State Univ. when a Glacier Park, Inc. employee recruiting poster caught his eye bringing him to Montana in 1976. That summer he climbed many peaks in Glacier, and it cemented his love for the mountains in the area.  When he discovered that Big Mountain Ski Resort was recruiting Park employees for their winter season, he jumped at the chance. 

Big Mountain was a central part of his life for 22 years, first as Chair One IS station lift attendant, then quickly moving into full-time positions as groomer, summer slope maintenance, and finally Grooming/Snowmaking supervisor. In 1998, opportunity took the family to California for nine years and a new career working as heavy equipment operator. Montana beckoned the family back in 2007 and he then worked in Glacier National Park as NPS Campground Maintenance Worker Lead until retirement in the fall of 2020.

It was in Whitefish that he met his future wife Mary, also a Minnesota native. They married on June 2, 1979, and had just celebrated their 47 years together. Daughter Erin was born in 1985, and together this family of three played, worked, and traveled extensively together. Larry’s love of the mountains took them all around Europe over several trips, plus Great Britain, Scandinavia, Russia, Iceland, Turkey, Greece, Australia, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Canada, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and nearly every state in the US. Whether it was a road trip or cruise, he was always eager to go and explore new countries and their cultures. He fully instilled this love for travel in Mary and Erin as well.

Always finding solace in music and nature, fishing, boating, camping, skiing, hiking, and climbing were lifelong hobbies. In recent years he became an enthusiastic collector of license plates buying, trading, and selling nationally and internationally and attending conventions in Montana, Colorado, Oklahoma, Nevada, and Florida.

Never one to sit idle, Larry was dedicated over the past 10 years to helping Erin run Glacier Bark Kennels and maintaining her large property. Together they succeeded in creating the successful business it is today.

Larry was admired by so many for his hard work ethic, his loyalty to family and friends, and his steadfast moral convictions he embraced throughout his entire life. He was respected leader and patient mentor. His honesty and integrity were paramount. But most of all, his enduring love, care, and protection for his wife and daughter never wavered.

Larry is survived by his wife Mary, daughter, Erin, his sisters, Gwen Amstutz, and Jill Sawyer, plus many nieces, grand-nieces, cousins, and extended family members. He was preceded in death by his parents, stepmother Tillie, and brother, James. 

A Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, July 12, at 4:00 p.m. at 636 Kelley Road, Columbia Falls. Please bring your stories, a side dish or dessert to share, and a chair. BYOB. In lieu of gifts or donations, please schedule your dermatology appointment today!

Larry, we love you with all our hearts. We will miss your steady presence in our lives and are beyond grateful for all the moments we were able to share with you during your lifetime. We find comfort knowing you are now at peace. 

To send online condolences, please visit Larry's tribute page at: columbiamortuary.com. 

Columbia Mortuary is caring for the family.