Larry Hagen

Apr 28, 1935 -

Feb 4, 2022

Larry Marvin Hagen was born in Spokane, Wash., in 1935. He died peacefully at home in Anchorage. Alaska, on Feb. 4, 2022. Larry had a great life: a wonderful wife, a loving family and good friends. He did impactful work as a dedicated educator and community musician.

Larry grew up in Spokane with his parents, Bert and Inez; brother, Dennis; and sister, Susan. He went to Rogers High School, attended Whitworth College for two years, spent two years in the Navy, then finished up at Whitworth. In 1959, he married his college sweetheart, Barbara McKenzie. They have three sons: Barry, David and Steve.

In summer 1970, Larry piled Barb and the boys into a camper and drove up the primitive Alcan Highway to Anchorage, where they built a custom home in the woods.

Larry was the first choir teacher at Service High School when it opened in 1970. He constantly played classical music at home, inspiring his sons to pursue music degrees in college. In addition to teaching, he sang in Alaska Chamber Singers and in local choral events. He and Barb attended First Covenant Church, where Larry served as choir director for several years. For many years Larry and family celebrated Thanksgiving and other holidays with their "Alaska family" from the Covenant Church. They later joined First Presbyterian Church, where Larry again served as choir director.

Larry's passion was the outdoors, and he dove right into hunting upon arrival. His early hunting partners included Warren Jones, Stan Bronczyk, Zoltan Gaal, Merlyn Gruhn and Gary Lyon. He preferred long distance human-powered hunts. His many epic backpack hunts earned him the reputation of being utterly crazy. He, his sons and friends often hunted caribou on foot in the Kenai Mountains, where they would regularly shoot caribou on the tops of mountains eight or more miles from the road.

Larry led dozens of rafting trips with family and friends - often with his best friend, Gene Lorenson - on many of the best fishing rivers across Alaska; his favorites were the Goodnews and the Unalakleet.

Family was very important to Larry. Even though it minimized his fishing itinerary, almost every summer he would spend time with family in Yakima, Spokane, and Coeur d'Alene. In 2000, he treated his kids and grandkids to a Norway cruise which included meeting distant relatives and visiting the church where Larry's grandmother was baptized. Highlights of Larry's last year were attending the family reunion in Idaho and having his entire progeny visit Anchorage for Christmas.

Larry was predeceased by his parents, Bert and Inez; and brother, Dennis. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Barb; three sons and spouses; eight grandkids; two great-grandkids; sister and her husband, Susan and Charlie Nipp; and sister-in-law, Janet.

Funeral plans will be announced later. Memorial donations may be made to Larry's favorite charity, World Vision. At his request, Larry's ashes will be scattered at Wolf Creek, his favorite hunting camp. Sorry, dad, but if we see a moose way up there, we're not going to shoot it.