Larry Ray Ketelsen

Larry Ketelsen, 78, of Bemidji, MN, died Friday, June 5, 2026, at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center.

A Memorial Gathering will be held 5:00 – 7:00p.m., Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at the Olson-Schwartz Funeral Home in Bemidji. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

Larry Ray Ketelsen was born July 16, 1947, in Clinton, Iowa to Laverne & Dorothy Ketelsen. He grew up in eastern Iowa as a farm boy. Larry graduated from Northeast High School in Elvira, Iowa in 1965. After high school, he worked as a bus mechanic. He met and eventually married Colleen Vorbeck on March 20, 1971, in Charlotte, Iowa. The couple moved to Bemidji, MN in 1976 where Larry drove delivery truck for a bread company. He then went to work as a mechanic for Thorson, Inc. Larry then ventured out on his own and started Larry’s Lawn & Home Care. He ran that until he sold the business in 1990 and then went to work for Magnuson Trucking and would remain there until his retirement. Larry enjoyed traveling with Colleen and his grandsons, helping others, fishing, and watching birds.

He is survived by his wife, Colleen; sons, Clint & Jamie Ketelsen; grandsons, Kamden & Roen Ketelsen; sister, Connie (Gary) Kent; brothers, David (Paula), Loren (Sherri), and Gary (Mary Jo). Larry is preceded in death by his parents.

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