December 20, 2022 at 2:48 p.m.
Lee R. Larkey
Mass of Christian Burial for Lee Larkey will be at 11 a.m., Thursday, Dec. 22, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in St. Anna. Visitation will be 4-8 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 21 at the church. Parish prayers begin at 4 p.m., followed by the rosary. Visitation will also be one hour prior to Mass Dec. 22 at the church. Burial will be at the parish cemetery.
Lee Ralph Larkey, 83, of Avon, Minnesota, passed away peacefully at the St. Cloud Hospital Dec. 15, 2022, surrounded by his family.
Lee was born July 15, 1939, in Great Falls, Montana, to Frank and Gladys (Vinson) Larkey. He
graduated from St. John’s University, Collegeville, in 1961. He enlisted in the United States Air Force and was commissioned as an officer. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force as a captain Nov. 15, 1972. Lee met Bernadette Woitalla in college, and they married Aug. 27, 1963, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in St. Anna.
Lee was a Revenue Agent for the Internal Revenue Service for many years, retiring at the age of 55. Following his retirement, he helped many individuals prepare tax returns and negotiated resolutions to difficult cases. Lee was a member of the Knights of Columbus as well as a past grand knight. For many years, he supported the rebuilding of the Most Holy Mother of God Catholic Church in Vladivostok, Russia, with the Rev. Myron Effing and the Rev. Dan Maurer. He visited the mission at the age of 73. Lee was active in the pro-life movement on behalf of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, and he took many trips to our state Capitol and Washington, D.C. He was active in the Republican Party at the local and state levels.
Lee had many interests, including gardening of herbs and vegetables, raising ducks and geese and beekeeping. His beekeeping business was called the Honey Hut. Lee not only raised bees, but sold bees and supplies for beekeepers, and, of course, honey. Many who knew Lee considered him a pillar of the church community. Lee was a person of action, not content to sit and let others do the work. Most of all, Lee enjoyed playing with his grandkids, playing cribbage and UNO and petting his beloved cats.
Lee is survived by his beloved wife, Bernadette, of Avon; children Theresa (Michael) Graveen of Cottage Grove, Joseph (Betty Jane) Larkey of Sauk Rapids, Kathleen (LaVerne) Freeman of Amherst, Ohio, Michael (Lori Johnson) Larkey of St. Cloud, and Daniel (Nancy) Larkey of Albany; son-in-law Scott Rausch of Avon; 13 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; sisters Sue Stark (and family) of Maplewood, and Nancy Larkey and Patricia Larkey, both of St. Paul.
Lee was preceded in death by his parents, daughter Mary Rausch, grandson Jason Larkey and brother-in-law Harold “Buster” Stark. P-51-1B
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