Lawrence Lacoursiere Obituary

Larry Lacoursiere, 88, of Warren, MN, died in his home under care of hospice and his family, on Friday morning, June 21, 2024.

Lawrence Eldege Lacoursiere was born on December 12, 1935, in Gentilly, MN, the eldest son of Emery O. and Lea (Delorme) Lacoursiere. As a farm boy in Brooks, MN, he learned the value of work early on, taking care of his labors before the sun rose and school started. He was renown for his energy and, despite his stature, could stack full milk cans two-high and toss bales of hay with ease. Larry also had a knack for fixing engines and operating (in his words) “anything with four wheels.” After a three-year courtship begun at an Oklee, MN, dance, Larry was married to Rena Bergeron on July 27, 1957. The young couple moved to Hibbing, MN, where Larry hauled for the mines and where they started their family.

In 1958, a decent seasonal job brought Larry and Rena to Warren. What was supposed to be a few months stretched to 66 years and the rest of their married life together. They attended Mass every Sunday in Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church for six decades and Larry was a Knight of Columbus. Larry worked for Cal Sorenson Construction, for Dahlmans (from 1963-2010), and in the Warren Motors Ford Garage. Work pleased him, but family life was more satisfying. Larry loved simply “being there” for his kids. Only a phone call away, he'd arrive with one of three toolboxes (house, car, or plumbing) ready to put a problem to right. After his two children, Nancy and Richard, came grandchildren and the opportunity to help and teach all over again. He was just as happy babysitting as he was wrenching on a car or driving a semi. And even when recovering following a near-fatal heart attack in 1990, or in his final years as blindness kept him increasingly homebound, his family was at his side, repaying him for “being there” all these years.

Larry will be remembered for his strong Catholic faith, his resilience, and for the example of his six-decade marriage.

In addition to his wife of nearly 67 years, Rena, Larry is survived by his daughter, Nancy (John) Gerszewski; five grandchildren, Steve (Tara) Johnson, Stacey (Corey) Wentz, Stephanie (John) DeYoung, Bailey (Corey) Lacoursiere, and Wesley Lacoursiere; twelve great-grandchildren, Austin, Kinley, Kaden, and Karsen, Taylor, Blaine, and Jase, Liam, Nora, and Cameron, and Wilson and Cleo; daughter-in-law, Heidi Lacoursiere; and his brothers, Vernon (Barbara), Donny (Annette) and Pete (Diane) Lacoursiere and their families.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and son, Ric, who died on November 25, 2015.

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MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL: Tuesday, June 25, 2024, at 10:30 AM, in Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, Warren, MN.
VISITATION: one hour prior to Mass.
INTERMENT: Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Warren.

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