Larry L. Molland

Larry Lawrence Molland passed away peacefully on Friday, January 8, 2021 of COPD and Parkinson's disease with his family at his side. He was born July 18, 1940 in Eau Claire, WI to Milfred and Velva (Grass) Molland. He was baptized and confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church, Gilmanton, WI. Larry attended the Oak Grove one-room school in Gilmanton through the 8th grade, and graduated from Gilmanton High School in 1958. In the fall of that year, Larry visited his aunt and uncle, Viva and Clayton Nyre in Coquille, Oregon. He then worked with Clayton at Georgia Pacific mill. He met his wife Sharol Heintzelman at a Conway Twitty dance party on her birthday in 1959. They were married on July 9, 1960. He enjoyed playing basketball and semi-pro baseball for the Coquille Loggers. They moved back to Gilmanton in 1963 to find a farm of their own, to no avail, and later moved to Evansville, WI in 1964. Larry worked at General Motors in Janesville until they were able to find their farm in Gilmanton in 1969. Larry served on the Gilmanton School board from 1974 to 1982, on several committees for Trinity Lutheran Church, and with the Gilmanton Community Club. They farmed until 1993 when health problems began to interfere with Larry's ability to work. He then worked for Countryside Coop in Mondovi, driving a route truck until his retirement in 2004. Following his 1981 melanoma cancer surgery, at the advice of his doctors to avoid all stress, he bought a boat and began his love of fishing. He was an avid fan of the Wisconsin Badgers sports program, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Green Bay Packers. He enjoyed deer hunting on his land, and spending time in his milk house/man’s cave with friends. Especially during deer season when many friends and family came for hunting and sharing many laughs together. In later years he puttered in his yard and woods with his Ranger and enjoyed spending quality time with his family. His grandchildren were the apples of his eye and he enjoyed teaching them how to fish. When the family gathered for their Christmas celebration less than a week before he died, he gave testimony to them of his faith in God through the years of illness and setbacks. Larry will be sadly missed by his wife Sharol, of 60 years, his children and their families, Karen (Gary) Thomas, Jason and Heather; Karla Molland-Lay, Trevor and Trista; son Clarence (Shannon) Bautch, Bailey and Ryan; Brenda (Ed) Arndt, Lawrence and Natalie; brother Ronnie (Neuretta) Molland; special cousins, Barbara (Bob) Ellis, Sonny (Jean) Everson, nieces, nephews and cousins. Preceding him in death were his parents, Milfred and Velva (Grass) Molland, nephews Wayne Molland and Mark Heintzelman, in-laws Virginia and Ray Chmiel, aunt and uncle, and cousins. The family wishes to express their sincere thank you to the doctors and staff who took care of Larry's health needs over the years, and to Heartland Hospice for their compassion and caring over the last year of his life. Memorials may be donated to Heartland Hospice or Gimanton United Methodist Church. Special thank you to Talbot Funeral Home for their professionalism and direction during this special time. A celebration of life event will be determined at a later date in the summer of 2021.