THIEF RIVER FALLS, Pennington County (trfnews.i234.me) — Deborah “Debbie” Larson, 61, passed away peacefully at home on October 29, 2025.
Debbie was born July 27, 1964, in Minneapolis to Jack and Mary Lou Rindahl. Her family soon moved to the Oklee area. They later settled on a farm north of Gully. She was baptized and confirmed at Nazareth Lutheran Church in Trail. Debbie graduated from Oklee Public School in 1982.
After high school, she attended Hibbing Community College. She then worked as a nanny on Long Island, New York. Missing home, she returned to northwest Minnesota. She worked at Pennington County Abstract. Debbie later paused her career to raise her children. She then spent 26 years at DigiKey, with time at the Pennington County DMV and The Times.
On June 30, 1984, Debbie married her high school sweetheart, Gerald Larson, at Nazareth Lutheran Church. They began life near Oklee, then lived nine years on the family farm north of Gully. They later made their home in Thief River Falls. Debbie loved summers at the lake, gardening, canning, and cooking. She enjoyed cards and bingo with family and friends. She was active at Nazareth Lutheran in Trail and at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Thief River Falls.
Debbie is survived by her husband, Gerald; children Derrick (Jacinda) Larson, Brenden Larson, Dana (Dacotah) Larson, and Zachery Larson; grandchildren Lexie DeFrang, Aubree Larson, Teague Larson, Lipp Mattison, and Milo Robinson; siblings Rhonda (Kim) Vettleson, Lisa (Dan) Staudinger, Michele (Brandon) Cottrell, Rick (Ellen) Rindahl, Lindsi (Ben) Shanahan, and Tara (Chris) Schmidt; sisters-in-law Shelly (Kevin) Kuchynski and Lisa (Benji) Hofstad; brother-in-law Garth Larson; stepfather Steve Schmidt; and parents-in-law Edward and Sharon Larson.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Jack Rindahl and Mary Lou Schmidt; grandparents Milo and Lily Cantwell and Orland and Esther Rindahl; brother Benji Rindahl; and brother-in-law, Randall Larson.
A prayer service will be held at 7:00 p.m., Sunday, November 2, 2025, with visitation from 5:00–7:00 p.m. at Johnson Funeral Service, Thief River Falls, MN. The funeral will be at 10:00 a.m., Monday, November 3, 2025, at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Thief River Falls. Burial will follow at Nazareth Lutheran Church, Trail, MN, with lunch at Nazareth.
Pennington County: Remembering Deborah Larson, 61