Jeffrey C. Larson

HOLDEN - Jeffrey C. Larson, 79, of Holden, a retired teacher and coach, passed away on July 14, 2025 at the Holden Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center, after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He leaves his beloved wife of 56 years, Patricia A. (Griswold) Larson, sons, Kevin C. Larson, Esq. and his partner, Kathleen M. Mattei of Holden and Bryan J. Larson and his partner, Tarryn Daisy of Ogunquit, ME, his grandson, Wesley C. Larson, and a sister-in-law Carolyn (Griswold) Connors and her husband, Stanley Szczurko of West Boylston. His sister, Joyce (Larson) Blomfelt, predeceased him in 2020.

Jeff was born in Worcester, the son of Carl H. Larson and Mildred E. (Johnson) Larson. He graduated from Wachusett Regional High School in 1963 and from UMass Amherst in 1967 with a BS in Mathematics. He was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Jeff later obtained his Master of Education from Worcester State University.

From 1967-1984 Jeff taught math at Southbridge High School, before accepting his dream job and returning to his alma mater to teach math at Wachusett from 1984-2004. At Wachusett, Jeff coached freshman boys soccer and basketball, and he was a long-time coach of the highly successful girls varsity soccer team. From 1989-1991, he coached the boys varsity basketball summer league team to three consecutive undefeated seasons. At both Southbridge and Wachusett, Jeff was Student Council Advisor for many years and was an officer on the regional, state, and national level. He was a former president of the Worcester County Math League.

Following his retirement from full-time teaching, Jeff continued as a substitute teacher for many years and was a fixture working the door at Wachusett basketball and football games. He is a member of the Wachusett Athletic Hall of Fame for his contributions to Wachusett athletics. Jeff also worked as a Real Estate Broker for 10 years for Robert B. Love Real Estate in Holden in his retirement years.

In addition to teaching and coaching, Jeff was a talented carpenter who built several houses, including his own with his wife Patty, as well as countless additions, garages, and barns during summers when school was out. In his free time, he enjoyed coaching Kevin, Bryan, and Wesley in basketball, watching the Celtics, Patriots, Red Sox, and Bruins, and spending his summers with his family waterskiing on Comet Pond.

Jeff will be forever remembered for his kindness, loyalty, work ethic, and genuine love for teaching and coaching. Many current teachers and coaches have reached out over the years to credit Jeff with inspiring them to pursue their careers.

The family would like to thank the tireless staff at Holden Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center for their hard work and loving care.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, September 5, 2025 at 11 a.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 346 Shrewsbury Street, Holden. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made in Jeff’s name to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, P.O. Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21742; donations@michaeljfox.org. Funeral arrangements are under the care of Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main Street, Holden.