Larry Stammen

  Larry L. Stammen of Grand Forks, ND passed away on March 21, 2017. Larry was born on February 23, 1956 at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, SC and lived in Meppershall, England for two years before returning to his parents’ home state of ND. His father Ron was a school administrator and his mother Shirley was a homemaker. He attained the Star rank in Boy Scouts, which instilled in him a lifelong love of the outdoors. He won the 1971 state science fair for his project, Photography by Laser: Wavefront Reconstruction. Larry graduated from Divide County High School in Crosby, ND in 1974, where he was a letterman in football, gymnastics, and track. He became a Licensed Practical Nurse in Hot Springs, Arkansas after high school, then came back to ND and earned his private pilot license at the University of North Dakota. While on summer recess he skippered a houseboat on Lake of the Woods for Robertson Lumber Company near Sioux Narrows, Ontario. In college Larry was a lifeguard and swimming instructor at the YMCA, where he met a fellow student, Mary Grabowski. They were married at University Lutheran Church in 1978. Reading and writing were an interest of Larry’s throughout his life. He read a variety of genres, but always enjoyed the stories of Louis L’Amour. Larry was the editor of The Bottineau Courant, The Harvey Herald, and then The Pierce County Tribune. He won the North Dakota Newspaper Association’s first place award for best personal column in 1985 and best news photo in 1986. In addition to news articles, he wrote short stories and poetry and enjoyed nature photography, traveling to Churchill, Manitoba to photograph polar bears. His writing career also included publishing North Dakota Business Weekly and Red River Valley Magazine. Larry and Mary bought a small farm at Frog Point, and later one near Hatton where they grew large vegetable gardens and enjoyed rural living. Larry always had a dog by his side. He trained and showed his golden retriever Shardik. In 1993 the Stammens had a son, Talon. His proudest moments were spent teaching him new skills. The family moved to Grand Forks in 1997 where Larry served as the marketing director for Hugo's Family Marketplace, and he later managed and grew the Grand Cities Mall. He enjoyed playing noon basketball at the YMCA, and coached gymnastics, helping to establish Dakota Gold gymnastics training center. Larry was an avid outdoorsman. He led fourteen-day trips through the lakes of Quetico Provincial Park by canoe and pack. He and Mary sailed the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior every summer for many years, and later he introduced his son to sailing in the Florida Keys. The family went downhill skiing every winter in the Rocky Mountains, most often at Sunlight, near Glenwood Springs, CO. He liked to ski through the trees of the backcountry and test himself on some of the most challenging runs. The family made many camping trips to the north woods of Minnesota. After Talon was born they bought property on Brush Island on the Northwest Angle of Lake of the Woods, where they built two log cabins together. He expertly navigated the sixty by ninety mile maze of 14,000 islands to remote swimming beaches and fishing spots. His father-in-law Art Grabowski was his best friend, and they enjoyed watching Fighting Sioux hockey together. Larry lived a varied and interesting life. He had a great heart and his small circle of family and friends were most important to him. Larry was a deep thinker and a big dreamer and inspired many to pursue the great experiences of life through his example. He is survived by his wife Mary and son Talon, Grand Forks; father-in-law Art Grabowski, Grand Forks; brother-in-law Steve (Kitten) Grabowski, Golden, CO; brother-in-law Joe Grabowski, Grand Forks; brother-in-law Pete (Nina) Grabowski, Denver, CO; mother Shirley Stammen, West Fargo; sister Lynne Stammen, Fargo; sister Annette (Gary) Steffan and nephew Darek, Devils Lake; uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his father Ron Stammen, uncles Johnny Krueger and Homer Seidler, and beloved golden retriever Buddy and cat Smokey. A celebration of Larry’s life will be held on Sunday, May 21, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. at the Hopper Danley Spiritual Center on the banks of the English Coulee on the campus of the University of North Dakota. Arrangements by Amundson Funeral Home.