RAPID CITY- Roland "Rollie" Arthur Larson passed away peacefully on October 26, 2019, at 77 years, from complications associated with Lewy Bodies Dementia disease.

He is survived by his wife, Geraldine and his three sons Corey, Colby, and Lance. Corey and his wife Kelly, have three children, Annabella, Layne, and Vaughn and they reside in Olympia, Washington. Colby resides in Rapid City, and Lance and his wife Kate reside in Washington, DC.  He married Cynthia Dittus on March 21, 1976, and to this union a son, Corey, was born in 1977.  Cindy died in childbirth. He married Geraldine Martin on December 28, 1982, and two more sons were born, Colby and Lance.

Survivors also include Rollie's brother Dohn and his wife Mary Larson, of Hollister, CA, and his sisters, Gail (Danny) Munoz, of Fresno, CA, and Carol Heatherly, of Kentucky.

Preceding him in death are his parents, his first wife Cindy, two sisters, Lois Cersosimo and Jule Meek, and one brother, Layne.

Rollie was born on January 31, 1942, at home near Erwin,  Kingsbury County, South Dakota to Arthur Oliver and Lucy Bertine (Larsen) Larson. He grew up on the farm, near DeSmet, SD and had special memories of his horse He mourned the day his family sold their farm and his beloved childhood horse. He moved to Rapid City with his family in 1954. Rollie fondly recalled the seeing the Black Hills and the "big city" lights after an almost endless drive through the South Dakota prairie.

He was a standout athlete at Rapid City High School, competing in football, basketball, and baseball. In 1960, he propelled the Cobblers Basketball team to the 1960 State Championship. After he graduated from Rapid City High School in 1960, Rollie attended Augustana College on a football scholarship.  At Augustana Rollie competed in football, basketball, wrestling, and baseball. Rollie was inducted into Augustana's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1985 and also the Rapid City Sports Hall of Fame.

After college Rollie attended Bemidji State in Minnesota and worked as a Graduate Assistant teaching activity classes.  He received his M.S. in 1966 in Physical Education. He returned to Rapid City and taught one year at North Middle School.  Rollie returned to Augustana from 1967-1969, where he was a teacher and coached football, wrestling, and golf. In 1969 he returned to Rapid City and taught Biology and coached football, wrestling, and golf for the Cobblers at Rapid City Central High School for 33 years.  He was named South Dakota's Teacher of the Year in 1986.

Rollie loved to be involved with sports and he was an umpire and referee for many Legion baseball games and high school basketball and football games.  He was with the crew that refereed the first State A football championship game at the Dakota Dome. In 1967 Rollie joined the South Dakota National Guard.  He drove a dump truck in the aftermath of the 1972 Rapid City flood and helped to clean up the library at the School of Mines.

Rollie was an avid golfer and golf coach, and he knew the rule book inside and out.  He coached the Rapid City Central Boys and Girls golf teams.

Rollie also loved hunting deer and turkey and spending time at the cabin by Pactola Lake. He loved the outdoors, was a bird watcher, and participated in many Christmas bird counts. His passion was golf and he traveled to Scotland and stood on the Swilken Bridge at St. Andrews.

Rollie helped start the Midget Football program in Rapid City, served on the Board of Directors of SD Golf Association, was a 50-year member of the Elks organization, was a past member of the Rapid City Officials and Coaches Club, and was a Boy Scout leader for his sons. He was known for his sense of humor and his seemingly endless supply of "one-liner" jokes.

Rollie enjoyed to travel; from visiting his ancestral roots in Norway to St. Andrews, Scotland and all over the United States to see his sons and grandchildren.

Most of all, Rollie was dedicated to his family and was always supportive of his sons' academic and athletic achievements.

Visitation will be from 5:00-7:00 pm on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at the Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home.

His funeral service will at 11:00 am on Thursday, Oct. 31, at Calvary Lutheran Church.

Burial will be in Mt. View Cemetery.