William L. Larsh

William L. Larsh, age 88, of Eaton, OH passed away on Saturday, October 13, 2012. He was born September 21, 1924 in Dixon Township, Preble County, OH to the late Cecil and Hazel E. (Ross) Larsh. William graduated from Richmond High School in 1943 and attended the ACME Institute of Technology, Sinclair College and ITT. He was employed by AVCO for 22 years and retired from Parker-Hannifin in 1991, where he was Manufacturing Engineer of the Eaton and Lewisburg Plants, and traveled extensively overseas to Europe and the Far East to coordinate and facilitate equipment and manufacturing methods for acquired new plants. He was an Army Veteran of World War II, serving in the intelligence and reconnaissance section for the Third Battalion, 134th Regiment, 35th Infantry Division in Ardennes, Rhineland, at Bastone in Belgium and other Central Europe Campaigns. He was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Special Unit Citation. William was discharged at the rank of Staff Sargent on June 20, 1946 as Battalion I&R Operations Coordinator. He also served in the Army Reserves from March 1949 to May 17, 1953. William and Mary Catheryn Roselius were united in marriage on June 14, 1951 at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lewisburg, OH. He was a member of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, where he was baptized and confirmed on May 24, 1952 and was a member of the council for many years. He was a former member of the Eaton Country Club; a lifetime member of the American Legion Post #322, West Alexandria, OH; past member of the V.F.W. Post #8066, Eaton, OH; member of the Elks Lodge #649, Richmond, IN; and served on many local boards and committees. He played Center (#17) for his High School Football team as well as played Basketball and ran track; and was active in many independent and Commercial team leagues while employed at AVCO in Richmond, IN. William’s many interests included all sports, especially golf, where he once had a hole-in-one at Penn Terra Golf Course, while playing on the Trinity Lutheran Church Team with Pastor Jim Lehman. He also once played a portion of the Pebble Beach Golf Course in Monterey, CA. Another interest of William was Ohio State Football, where he is still an active member of the Buckeye Boosters and the Buckeye Athletic Club. William also attended 39 consecutive Indianapolis 500 car races. William was elected to the Board of Trustees for the Preble County Council on Aging in 2007, but never was able to serve due to his illness. Bill was never a loud spoken person and took his time in making decisions. He and his wife, Mary Catheryn, traveled extensively across the United States and around the World after his retirement. Golf and O.S.U. sports became a pastime after retirement and having coffee with his buddies at the “Eaton Place”. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two brothers, Harvey and Dorothy Larsh and Keith Larsh; sister Irene and Myron Raper; nephews Jim Larsh and Tim Raper; niece Lee Ann (Larsh) Turpin; and brother-in-laws Elden Grimme and Bruce Thomas. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Mary Catheryn Larsh of Eaton, OH; sister Carol Thomas of Richmond, IN; sister-in-law Martha Grimme of West Alexandria, OH; nieces and nephews Larry Larsh, Jack Larsh, Donnie Thomas, Rodney Thomas, Jane Harvey, Jill Haber, Jean Larsh, Mark Larsh and Duane Grimme; and numerous grand nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Thursday, October 18, 2012 at the Girton Schmidt & Boucher Gard Funeral Home, Eaton, OH with Rev. Wayne D. Morrison officiating. Burial will be in Sugar Grove Cemetery, West Alexandria, OH. Friends will be received from 5:00 to 8:00 pm on Wednesday, October 17, 2012 at the funeral home and one hour prior to services on Thursday. Memorial contributions may be sent to Trinity Lutheran Church, 511 North Commerce Street, Lewisburg, OH 45338, Humane Society of Preble County, P.O. Box 72, Eaton, OH 45320 or charity of donor’s choice. Online condolences and other remembrances may be sent to the family by visiting www.gsbfuneralhome.com.