East Des Moines native and racing enthusiast who died of COVID-19 complications memorialized with classic car 'roll-in'

Richard "Dick" Larsen was what his friends and family call a "racing nut."

Larsen fell in love with classic cars and auto racing as a young boy growing up on the east side of Des Moines, and that enthusiasm lasted his entire life. He built models of his favorite race cars, raced go-karts and helped plan numerous classic car shows and cruises throughout Iowa.

Larsen, who had preexisting health conditions, died Sept. 2 from COVID-19 complications. He was 77.

Larsen's wife, Michelle, said due to social distancing restrictions and other safety precautions only about 40 people were allowed at her husband's funeral last week. So she and dozens of his closest friends planned a larger send-off Saturday, when they gathered for a classic car "roll-in" through the parking lot of Lutheran Church of the Cross in Altoona.

Richard Larsen's loved ones gathered to share their favorite memories of him. Many of his friends arrived in their classic cars in his honor.

His impact in the classic car and racing scene in the Des Moines metro was evident at his memorial. As a member of the Des Moines Rollin' Relics car club and president of Iowa Street Rod Association, Larsen had fostered many friendships through a shared love for cars during his lifetime.

Pictures of Larsen racing at the Iowa State Fair Speedway, along with some of the model race cars he had built, were on display at his memorial. As was his own classic car — a mint green 1964 Buick Wildcat. A small, red plastic fuel tank hangs outside the car's fuel filler. It's an inside joke for his wife and friends, who say Larsen was notorious for running out of gas.

Michele Larsen laughed as she told stories of the countless amount of times she has had to bring her husband gas.

"Richard is having a ball up there watching," Michele Larsen said.

'It's not just the cars, it's the people you meet'

Michele Larsen misses her husband's laugh and smile. He was extremely loving, caring and outgoing, she said. Their 29th wedding anniversary would have been Monday.

"I don't think there was anyone he didn't care about," said Michele Larsen, 72, of Altoona.

"A day didn't go by where he didn't tell me he loved me. Not one day in 29 years," she said. "We had a great time. We had a wonderful life."

Richard Larsen's friends described him as a talker — someone who liked to have meaningful, long conversations about life. His friends Steve Klinkefus and John Vetter miss that about him.

Vetter is the vice president of programming for the Iowa Street Rod Association. He and Richard Larsen worked as a team, he said, and when they weren't planning car shows and cruises, Richard Larsen would fill the time with stories of his childhood.

"He would tell me his stories, and we would cruise on. We've been all over the state together," said Vetter, 70, of Boone.

Klinkefus has known Richard Larsen for 27 years. He said his favorite memory of his friend is from a Saturday night during the Goodguys' car show a few years ago.

They were sitting in front of their classic cars on East Grand Avenue at the fairgrounds watching other cars cruise by. They talked for hours about their similarities growing up, even though they hailed from different cities — Richard Larsen in east Des Moines and Klinkefus in Carroll.

It was a meaningful conversation for both of them, said Klinkefus, 71, of Des Moines. They understood each other.

There's a saying in the world of car shows and cruises, Klinkefus emphasized: "It's not just the cars, it's the people you meet."

Andrea Sahouri covers breaking news for the Des Moines Register. She can be contacted at asahouri@registermedia.com, on Twitter @andreamsahouri, or by phone 515-284-8247.

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