General George S. Patton said, "It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived."

Today, we thank God for the life of John Alan Larson.

In Mason City, Iowa, on July 24, 1969, John was placed in the arms of his loving and devoted mother, Mardelle; the fourth and final child born to Mardelle and Richard Larson. On Tuesday, January 20, 2026, surrounded by his siblings, Kimberly, Dawn, and Ric, John was received into the loving embrace of his Savior, Jesus Christ.

We thank God that he lived, but we cannot help but mourn the loss of a life that filled so many others' lives with joy and abiding friendship. It has been said of him, "John is contagious." The more you were around John, the more you wanted to be around John.

When John was in elementary school, Mardelle and her children moved from Iowa to Illinois. In 1989, John and his family relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is here that he, along with his mother and brother, began growing deep roots.

After arriving in Tulsa, John soon found employment in the service industry. Networking in that industry led him to the Tax and Accounting Software Corporation (TAASC) in 1993. He worked there until about 2001, when the company was acquired by a major corporation. While at TAASC, John forged many of the friendships that endured throughout his adult life.

John loved to learn, so after TAASC, he tried something new-working in business-to-business sales, taking on a territory that covered Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico.

But, for the past 21 years, John's career and heart have been with Lowe's Home Improvement. Beginning at the Broken Arrow store in 2005, John found a company and community where he would flourish. In 2017, he transferred to the Bixby store and joined the millwork team. Like the relationships he formed at TAASC, his Lowe's family became an important part of John's life.

Faith in Christ was the framework of his life, and his family and friends were the fabric of it. Of those he loved, he was as fierce a defender as a grizzly bear. To those he loved, he was a panda. Born of Norwegian stock, he had the sturdy bearing of a Norseman-broad-shouldered and barrel-chested with a full beard and head of strawberry blonde hair. To those who knew him best, he was "Big John." But the nickname didn't come from his size; it came from the life and love housed inside his hulking frame. He hated motivational speakers, but loved motivators; he was always looking for ways to get better and be better.

Led by his philosophy of "you help because you can, not because you have to," John lived a life of generosity driven by gratitude. And we are grateful for the countless ways he made us laugh, made us think, made us see and feel the important things, and made us better. John was generous, protective, loyal, smart, quick-witted, and sometimes a trickster. But in all things, he was present.

Many miss his presence now, especially his sisters, Kimberly Hight and her husband, David, of Mendota, IL; Dawn McGalliard of Newton, NC; and his brother, Ricky Larson, of Tulsa, OK. In addition, his brothers by choice, David Horst and his wife, Lisa, of Owasso, OK, and Paul McEntire and his wife, Jenette, of Tulsa, OK. Uncle John is also missed by his nieces and nephews: Josiah, Emily, Jeremiah, and Zechariah McGalliard; Aaron and Trevor Horst; and Sanda McEntire. John was preceded in death by his mother, Mardelle Larson.

"Where there is sorrow, there is holy ground." -Oscar Wilde