Lawrence (Larry) Francis Konzen passed peacefully at home on Thursday, April 7th at at the age of 91. Larry was born December 3rd, 1924 on the family farm in Delaware County, Iowa to Nicholas and Gertrude (Kraus) Konzen. Larry is survived by his wife of 62 years, Margaret, his children, Lori Maestas (Andy) of Phoenix AZ, Michael Konzen of Lee Summit MO, Ann Konzen Dorau (Dave) of Lenexa KS, Patrick Konzen (Miki) of Sacramento CA and Joan Doll (Gerry) of Naperville, IL and 12 grandchildren, Dina, Marissa, Anthony, Cory, Allison, Nick, Leo, Keely, Brogan, Megumi, Sakura and Nozomi
Larry was a WWII veteran of the United States Army for the 36th Infantry Division of Texas, serving in both North Africa and Italy where he earned the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Larry worked for Northwestern Bell Telephone Company for 30+ years working in both Marshalltown and Cedar Rapids Iowa. Upon retiring, Larry volunteered in Cedar Rapids with Meal on Wheels and other organizations and was an active member of St. Pius X Catholic Church serving in multiple volunteer roles.
An avid fisherman who enjoyed many fishing trips to Canada, Minnesota and Branson over the years, prompted Larry and Margaret to move to Branson in 1990 so Larry could fish on a regular basis. Larry spent 25 years in Branson volunteering and serving others with various organizations and especially Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church where he was involved in many ministries. Larry was a member of Knights of Columbus since 1942, where he had earned the rank of 4th Degree and awarded lifetime membership. Larry participated in all the varied service projects over the years Larry also served on the board of Lakewood Estates. After a life of service, Larry’s final act was to donate his body to medical science
Larry will be in our hearts forever and will always be remembered for his quick wit, dry humor, service to others, love for his family and as a darn good card player. We will miss him dearly
Larry is preceded in death by his parents, Nick and Gertrude Konzen, brothers Elmer, Ed, and Bill, sister Ginny and son-in-law Andy Maestas, He is survived by brothers, Dic and Joe and sisters Marie, Jane, Alice and Kay
The family would like to thank all the friends, neighbors and parishioners who assisted in various ways during Larry’s illness but especially Joe and Sharon Andrle, with Sharon providing end of life care along with Larry’s family.
A celebration of Larry’s life will be held Saturday April 16th at 2pm at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church, Branson, MO. The family will receive visitors prior to the celebration at the gathering area of Our Lady of the Lake. Reception will follow the service at the Parish Center
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Larry’s name to Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church, Honor Tour of Missouri www.honortour.com or Jesus Was Homeless (www.jesuswashomeless.com).