Irva Leora Larsen

Irva Larsen
Las Cruces, MN

    Our beloved wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, and dear friend, Irva Leora Warnock Larsen, 91, passed away peacefully in her sleep in Las Cruces, NM, on July 14, 2023 of causes incident to age. Irva was born in Sigurd, Utah on July 26, 1931 to Irvin Leroy and Lexia Dastrup Warnock. Named after her father, she was one of eight children who grew and flourished on the family homestead. She graduated from Richfield High School and completed one year at Brigham Young University. 
    Irva married Reed Larsen of Richfield, Utah on August 17, 1950 in the Manti Temple. Once Reed finished his degree in Physics from BYU in 1953, they moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico, where Reed spent his career as a project management engineer at White Sands Missile Range. Reed and Irva bought a house in 1955 at 1409 Lees Drive and spent the rest of their lives there. 
    Irva was known for her love and service to others. She was a friend to the neighbors on the block, a support to sisters in her ward who needed transportation, and a listening ear to those who needed it.   
    She was an expert seamstress who made Christmas and Easter dresses for herself and her children, countless Christmas pajamas over the years, and formals for special dances. She was a good cook and enjoyed feeding missionaries, college students, and hungry children. 
    Family was important to Irva. She supported her children in all their activities, welcomed spouses into the family circle and enjoyed all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren as the family grew. She was also focused on those family members who came before. Genealogy was a strength that she built as she gathered family information and made it available to others. 
    Irva was an active and faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She helped with the countless bazaars and other fund raisers that financed the Miranda Chapel in Las Cruces. She served a full-time mission for the Church in the Nauvoo, Illinois Mission. She loved the history there and the opportunity that she had to serve with Reed. She also served in many other capacities over the years in the Church such as Relief Society president, Young Women’s president, and various teaching positions. She sang in the choir. Her favorite calling was the years she and Reed worked as temple workers in the Albuquerque Temple. They would be on the road by 4:30 in the morning and spend the day in the temple, returning home by 9 p.m. or later in the evening. It was a long day, but they were grateful to give the service. 
    Irva leaves behind her children: Lexia Lynne (Rick) Gibson, Tamara Larsen, Rodney Reed (Marja) Larsen, Whitney (Craig) Davis, and Elizabeth (Brad) Hansen; 24 grandchildren; a multitude of great-grandchildren; and a sister Arda Jean Christensen, Salt Lake City, UT.  
    She is preceded in death by her husband; her parents; daughters: Sarah Larsen and Melinda Walker; granddaughter, Rachael Walker; siblings: Elayne Reid, Idell Thurston, Marie Merrell, Irvin Leroy Warnock Jr., Robert Warnock, D. Carl Warnock, and William Paul Warnock.   
    Funeral services will be held Saturday, July 29, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. in the Sigurd Utah Ward Chapel, 30 S 100 W, where a viewing will be held from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. Burial will be in the Sigurd City Cemetery. A memorial service will be held in Las Cruces, New Mexico on Saturday, August 5, 2023 at 11 a.m. at the LDS chapel located at 2915 East Idaho Ave, Las Cruces, New Mexico. Live  streaming of the services can be found at www.maglebymortuary.com below Irva’s obituary.  Funeral Directors: Magleby Mortuary, Richfield, Salina and Manti. Online guestbook at www.maglebymortuary.com