Larry Ray Thorseth

Larry R. Thorseth passed away at the Wyoming Medical Center in Casper Wyoming December 20, 2024. He lived in Casper for the last 15 years, most recently at Mountain Plaza Assisted Living and previously resided in Phoenix AZ.

 Larry was born October 28, 1944 in Minot, ND to Raymond and Lillian (Austad) Thorseth. He was a child of the prairie, a grandson of homesteaders. As a small child, and an only child, he was likely destined to spend his life near his birthplace. However, his father, employed at the Minot Daily News, was among several contracting tuberculosis there from another employee in 1949. Larry spent 3 summers at the North Dakota homestead of his grandparents at Roseglen, ND while his father was in the San Haven, ND Tuberculosis Sanitorium, with the school year in Minot with his mother. During Larry’s early grade-school years, his mother also contracted tuberculosis even though his father was said to be cured, and spent six months in the same sanitorium, a crisis resulting in complete loss of income and sale of the family home in Minot. Upon Mr. Thorseth’s release from hospital, they moved to his family’s farm near Williston ND, where Larry graduated from high school. His father passed away at an early age, in 1963 at which time his mother moved the family to Bismarck ND to be near her parents and family.

 Larry attended a number of colleges and universities. He was a graduate of the University of North Dakota, had several degrees from other colleges, and was a life-long learner. He thoroughly enjoyed the classroom and a learning environment, and had a keen intellect and drive to absorb information. Throughout later life, he attended college-level classes, either for credit or auditing them for his own benefit, and was active in bible study groups and in his church. 

 He served in the US army from 1966 to 1969, one of three out of twenty graduating from an elite training course as a communications cryptologist, and served one year in South Viet Nam using that training. He was later awarded a long overdue Veterans Administration disability due to that service, and most recently diagnosed with lung disease due to Agent Orange. He spent the majority of his working life in IT and computer maintenance, mixing that with employment as a security guard in Phoenix. He was at home in the military veteran’s environment that exists in Casper.

 He was preceded in death by his mother and father, grandparents Lloyd and Anne Austad, and Andrew and Sophie Thorseth; several aunts and uncles, cousins Erling V. Kvale, Laura Anne Jacobson, Bonnie K. Nilssen, and Robbin Austad. He is survived by cousins Bruce Austad, Fergus Falls, MN, and Pamela Wieder, Georgetown, TX.

 A memorial service will be held at the Oregon Trail State Veterans Cemetery in Evansville, where burial will take place, with a reception afterward at the Bethel Baptist Church in Casper.

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