Missionary who died in Haiti quake buried in Decorah

DECORAH - It's been difficult for Ben Larson's family and friends to accept that someone with so much warmth, energy and joy for life should die at such a young age.

Larson, 25, a 2006 Luther College graduate, died Jan. 12 after a building collapsed on him during the earthquake in Haiti. He, his wife, Renee Splichal Larson, and his cousin, Jonathan Larson, all students at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, were in the Caribbean nation working with the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Renee and Jonathan were able to escape after the top two floors of the six-story St. Joseph's Home for Boys collapsed during the quake, but Ben was unable to get out. A team of searchers recovered his body Jan. 28 from the rubble.

On Saturday afternoon, friends and family gathered at First Lutheran Church to gain some solace and say goodbye to a man who they said was constantly singing. Luther College's Nordic Choir, which Larson was president of his senior year, performed a number of songs during the funeral, including the tune “How Can I Keep from Singing.”

In a statement, Larson's family said, “In the Haitian rubble, Ben's life joins these dear beloved people of God; all those parents crying for their children; young widows calling out for their husbands; new orphans searching for their parents.” They asked that memorials be directed to the ELCA Disaster Response for Haiti, the ELCA Global mission for the Eglise Lutherienne d'Haiti, St. Jospeh's Home for Boys in Haiti or to Wartburg Theological Seminary.

The Rev. Steve Jacobsen of First Lutheran said Larson's family wanted those at the funeral to “share in their grief and in their faith.”

The Rev. Dr. Craig Nessan of Wartburg Theological Seminary, who delivered the sermon, told those in attendance that “the stories about life with Ben will continue to give comfort in this time of sorrow.”

Following the service, Larson was laid to rest at Phelps Cemetery in Decorah.

-By Paul Scott, Correspondent