Born on April 21, 1947, in Centerville, Iowa, Larry was the son of Alva Edwin Walden and Gweneth Louise Frye. Larry and his family moved to Montour, Iowa, in 1955 and he graduated from South Tama High School in 1965.

After high school, Larry met and married the love of his life, Pamela Tichy, on October 12, 1968. Larry and Pam first lived in LeGrand, Iowa, and later settled in Marshalltown, Iowa.

Larry worked for more than 36 years at Fisher Controls, assembling valves. While working at Fisher Controls, he was an active member of the United Auto Workers union and was elected to serve as union time study steward. Larry retired in 2003. Always wanting to stay busy, Larry quickly went back to work after retirement, driving a school bus for the Marshalltown Community School District. He made friends with fellow bus drivers and students alike, often attending activities the students were participating in.

Larry had an entrepreneurial spirit and loved motorcycles and cars. This blossomed into side businesses for him, and for many years he was actively involved with Wiese Sports Center and he later owned Country Car Shop outside of Eldora, Iowa. He formed lifelong friendships with the people he met while selling motorcycles and cars.

Larry was an avid outdoorsman. He enjoyed pheasant hunting, golfing and cycling. Larry’s true passion, however, was running. Sparked by an exercise class at the YMCA, Larry started running in 1984, at the age of 37. His first race was the 5-mile Veterans Home Run in Marshalltown. He quickly progressed to running longer distances, leading up to the 12.4-mile Dam to Dam race in Des Moines (a race he would run for 31 consecutive years). With that race behind him, he set his sights on a full marathon of 26.2 miles, but it wasn’t just any marathon. It was the Boston Marathon, knowing that he must first qualify by finishing a marathon with a time that is acceptable by Boston standards. He did so in October 1989, finishing the Twin Cities marathon in 3 hours and 12 minutes. He set high goals for himself and would go on to run the Boston Marathon two additional times. He was an accomplished runner, often placing near the top of his age group. Larry shared his love of running with countless others and is affectionately known as “Coach” throughout Marshalltown.

Camping was a summer tradition for the Walden family along with attending the Iowa State Fair. Three+ weeks in August were reserved on the calendar and the family knew to not schedule big events during this time. The Fair was the perfect environment for Larry with shows to watch, musicians to listen to, friends to catch up with and a cold beer to drink. Larry and his wife Pam, camped for 22 years at the Iowa State Fair and loved to invite others to join them, especially their grandchildren who were always spoiled at the Midway.

Service to his community was a priority for Larry. Whether he was providing transportation to those who needed a ride to weekly Mass, acting as a Girl Scout troop leader or serving in leadership positions at the YMCA, you could find Larry giving back. The community recognized this service by naming the Walden’s as YMCA Family of the Year in 1985.

Larry’s love for his community did not include the cold temperatures of the winter months. As soon as work schedules allowed, Larry and Pam began to spend winter months in Harlingen, Texas. Through Marshalltown friends, they found their second home at the Lakewood RV Resort and quickly built another community of friends to share their time with. With sunshine, a horseshoe pit and pizza nights to be had, Texas provided many winters of enjoyment for Larry.

Larry is survived by his wife of 54 years, Pamela Walden, his daughters Julie McCaughey (Robert), of Houston, Texas, and Alissa Walters (Bradley), of Kansas City, Missouri. His grandchildren: Rachel (Stan) Sojka, Ian McCaughey, Jacob Walters, Gwyneth Walters, Jack McCaughey, his great-grandsons Lukasz Sojka and Leo Sojka, his sister Jan Williams, sister-in-law Cathy Underhill, brothers-in-law Jim (Scherry) Tichy, Jerry (Teresa) Tichy and many beloved nieces, nephews and family members.

He is preceded in death by his father, Alva Edwin Walden, his mother Gweneth Louise Frye Walden, his sister Carol Jean Micllef, his father and mother-in-law George and Mary Ann Tichy, brothers in law Ed Micllef, Bill Williams and Leonard Underhill and nephew Michael Micllef.

Larry was a kind and generous man. He was a friend to all and had a unique way of making you always feel like the most important person in the room. He was dearly loved by all who knew him.

The family plans to host a celebration of Larry’s life at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to the Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA (www.ymca-ywca.org/donate/) or will be directed by the family to the Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation.