Jennie Lynn Larson

Jennie Lynn Larson, age 74, passed away on February 21, 2025. She was born on November 2, 1950, to John and Flo (Clementi) Blazek in Madison, Wisconsin. Jennie grew up in the Greenbush neighborhood off Regent Street in downtown Madison. Her father, John, was a nurse at Madison’s Veterans Hospital, and her mother, Flo, worked at Webcrafters. Jennie’s parents didn’t drive, so she relied on the bus for transportation until her grandfather gifted her a car at age 16, allowing her to drive the family around.

Jennie attended Longfellow Elementary School and Madison Central High School, graduating with one of the last classes from Central in 1968. After high school, Jennie began working right away, though at 17, she needed a work permit from the state to do so. It was with great pride and dedication that she spent 38 years working for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). While there, she served in various roles, including clerical worker, supervisor, and Administrative Assistant in the Secretary’s office.

While at DNR, Jennie met the love of her life, Larry. They bought a house together in 1977. They married in 1988 and spent years remodeling their home, much of which they did themselves. They lived in that house for 47 years before moving to Cardinal View Senior Living in 2024.

Jennie is survived by her beloved husband, Larry Larson; her aunt, Jennie Clementi; her sister, Theresa (Greg) Burr, and their children: Phillip (Amy), Barbara (Jonathan) Derer, and John (Jessica); four stepchildren: Anita, Mark (Anita Govea), Matthew (Lynn Schwalbe-Larson), and Morgan (Hope); six grandchildren: Emma, Edward, Anna, Jamie, Taliyah and Duncan; three great-grandchildren: Colton, Aubrie and Cooper; as well as many cousins, friends and loved ones.

Jennie had a passion for travel, and she and Larry visited many countries in Europe and made four trips to Australia to see friends. She also traveled across the U.S. for national conferences with Larry, who led a non-profit organization, Association for State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM), focused on reducing flood losses nationwide. Through these travels, Jennie formed cherished friendships with people around the world.

Jennie was an avid bowler for many decades. Jennie was also a dedicated fan of the Wisconsin Badgers, Green Bay Packers, and Milwaukee Brewers. After retiring, she devoted much of her time to helping her mother, Flo, who lived to the age of 97. Jennie regularly visited Flo, played cards with her, and took her on outings for lunch and to see family and friends.

Jennie was instrumental in helping Larry establish a scholarship fund at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the following. The Larry A. and Jennie Lynn Larson Scholarship Fund at the UW-Platteville Foundation (Platteville Scholarship), which supports future engineers, or the ASFPM Foundation Future Leaders Scholarship (ASFPM Scholarship), which supports students getting into flood risk management. 

A visitation will be on Saturday, March 1, 2025 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Cress Center, 6021 University Avenue, Madison. At 11:30 a.m., we will begin the Remembrance with lunch to follow. The remembrance will be live-streamed. Please click on the follow link to register: Live Stream

“Don’t cry because I’m gone, smile because I was here.”

Please share your memories of Jennie here on her Tribute Page.

Cress Center

6021 University Ave. Madison

(608) 238-8406