Lawrence Staats
Lawrence I. Staats, 91, of Eau Claire, was called home by his Lord and Savior, Jesus, on Friday, Sept. 29, 2017. He died peacefully, at the home of his daughter, Janet Wassman in Mankato, Minn.
After suffering a severe heart attack in August 2016, and discharged a month later into hospice care, Janet has lovingly and professional cared for her father in the hospital, and later in her home. While in Mankato, he enjoyed getting acquainted with 10 of his great-grandchildren.
Lawrence Irwin “Larry,” son of Gustave and Berniece (Hardesty) Staats, was born May 17, 1926, in Millston, Wis. He was raised in Augusta, where he attended grade school and graduated from high school in 1944. While at Augusta High, he excelled on the football and basketball teams. In October of 1944 he enlisted the United States Army. Larry served with the 12th Armored Division in the Central European campaign in Germany and Austria. His duties were assistant driver and bow gunner on a General Sherman tank. He was awarded the Purple Heart after his tank was fired upon in Ulm, Germany. When he was honorably discharged, he returned to Wisconsin where he was united in marriage to Delores Moy on Sept. 19, 1948, in Mondovi. The couple began their life together in Augusta, where Larry was employed with the line crew of the Omaha Railroad, which eventually was bought by the Chicago Northwestern. In 1957, he was promoted to overseeing the District of the St. James Territory in southern Minnesota and moved his family to Ormsby, Minn. In 1968, he was able to transfer back to Wisconsin and worked out of the Spooner office until 1983 when he was forced to retire due to a work related disability.
He had been a member of the Electrical Workers Union, and a lifelong member of the VFW and American Legion Posts, both in Augusta. After his retirement, Larry and Delores continued to live in the Spooner area until moving to Eau Claire in 2000. From 1985 until 2004, they wintered in Apache Junction, Ariz. Throughout his life Larry was a “Jack of all Trades” and in the later years he enjoyed working with wood. He designed and built three homes for himself and his wife, and also the Lutheran Church in Lampson, Wis. As he grew older, his woodworking projects were on a smaller scale. He built many items for Concordia Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, as well as many cherished keepsakes for family and friends. He also enjoyed watching football, especially the Green Bay Packers, and reading Louis L’Amour novels.
Larry will be dearly missed by Delores, his loving wife of 69 years; four daughters, Janet Wassman of Mankato, Minn., Barbara (John) Strackbein of Oklahoma City, Okla., Marilyn (James) Norton of Altoona, Laura (Michael) Metcalf of Vancouver, Wash.; sister, Rose McConnell of Mondovi; brother-in-law, Clayton Nelson of Mondovi; sister-in-law, Arlene Staats of Prior Lake, Minn.; uncle, Ray Hardesty of Augusta; 14 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren; a great-great-granddaughter.
He was preceded in death by his parents; siblings, Betty Nelson and Gene Staats; brother-in-law, Mac McConnell.
A visitation will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7, at Concordia Lutheran Church, Eau Claire. Services will be held Saturday at 11 a.m., at the church, with Pastor Aaron Hamilton officiating. Burial will be at 4 p.m. in the West Lawn Cemetery. Augusta.
The family is assisted by the Anderson Funeral Home in Augusta.
