Lawrence “Larry” Dare Wilde, Jr.

Lawrence “Larry” Dare Wilde, Jr., 93, peacefully passed away Dec. 28, 2016, at the Palmer Pioneer Home.

A service will be held at 12 p.m., Jan. 4, 2017, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 560 W. Bogard Rd (Palmer Stake Center) with a viewing at 11 a.m.

Larry was born Sept. 17, 1923, in Salt Lake City, Utah to Lawrence D. Wilde, Sr. and Keren Margret Skidmore. He graduated from Box Elder High School and went to Weber College before being called up for the military in April 1943. He received flight training in a Ryan PT-22. He also flew the BT-13, and AT-9 before flying the B-17. After flying 30 B-17 missions over Europe he returned to the U.S. With his degree in Forestry and Wildlife Management from Utah State University Larry joined the National Park Service and was a park ranger in New Mexico and Arizona until the Korean War when he was recalled into the Air Force. He later served in Viet Nam before retiring as a Lt. Colonel in 1970.

Larry returned to Alaska and was hired in the first group of Alaska State park rangers. He was the first State Park Ranger for the Mat-Su/Copper River Basin district and later became the district superintendent. For uniforms the first rangers wore hand-me-down State Trooper uniforms. He was very active in the Boy Scouts of America, serving as a Scoutmaster many times and as a board member for the Western Alaska Council. He was honored with a silver beaver award and was later recognized in 2011 for his 75 consecutive years as a Scout and Scouter. He also participated actively in his Church. He served as the Willow Ward bishop for five years. Then he and Claudia served a mission at Martin’s Cove, Wyoming.

Larry married Elaine Faye Owens in Lincoln, Nebraska on July 14, 1944. They were blessed with four sons: Lawrence, Ronald, Alan, and Gordon. He later married Claudia Gourley Munns in 1973 and together they raised her children: Lindsey, Marc, Jessica, and Jon. He has 22 grandchildren and 65 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Elaine Faye Owens Roylance, and sons Lawrence and Gordon.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the Boy Scouts of America, Great Alaska Council.