Larry Ray Wakefield

Larry Wakefield, farmer, cattleman and doting grandfather to the end, passed away on September 4, 2026, just two days shy of the two-year anniversary of losing his wife of 56 years, Joyce. Larry Wakefield was born January 14, 1937, in Albert Lea, MN to Ray and Marian (McColley) Wakefield. Like any stubborn Capricorn, he put up one heck of a fight after a brain aneurysm occurred three weeks prior to his passing. His family is grateful for the blessing of a little extra time with him before saying the final goodbye.

Larry spent most of his life on the family farm in New Richland and later in the nearby small town of Hartland. Larry grew up with three brothers, raised three sons, and became the proud grandfather to three granddaughters who helped to sweeten up this tough cowboy. He proudly raised Charolais cattle and later, two of his sons joined him as the 3rd generation to work on the family farm. In 1990, he was honored as the Minnesota Purebred Cattleman of the year. He was a founding member of the Minnesota Charolais Association. He also loved attending the MN and Iowa state fairs, the Iowa Beef Expo, the Black Hills Stock show, and visiting the LT Ranch in Isabel, South Dakota. He was a longtime member of the Congregational Church in New Richland as well.

Larry was a character with a quick sense of humor- sometimes at his expense and sometimes at your own. He’d then chuckle, and his blue eyes would twinkle, and you usually couldn’t help but laugh along with him. Later in life, Larry did granddaddy daycare at the farm for his first granddaughter, Lauren. He and his wife Joyce didn’t let her take a single nap in the crib on their watch. It was always done in their arms. He enjoyed telling stories to his granddaughters, explaining family history, playing checkers with them, and attending their birthday parties and sporting events. Until the last three weeks of his life, Larry was still tooling around in his Ford pickup headed to his “ranch” property where he’d check the fences, fill the tanks, pick up sticks, and burn brush.

Left to cherish his memory are his sons Kyle (Emily), Travis (Laurie), and Dan; his granddaughters Lauren, Naomi and Abby; his brothers Lowell (Darlene) and John; his sisters-in-law Pat Johnson and Monica Priebe (Charlie); cousins, and many nieces and nephews on both sides of the family. He is preceded in death by his wife, Joyce; his parents, Ray and Marian; his brother, James; his parents-in-law, Ben and Margaret Eustice; his brothers-in-law, Dick and Dennis; and his sister-in-law, Jan.

The family would like to thank the ICU staff at Saint Mary’s of Rochester as well as the staff of both Saint Croix Hospice and the New Richland Care Center. The family is also incredibly grateful to Pastor Marcia Pederson for her numerous visits to pray for and with Larry and the family.

Service will be at Cross of Glory Lutheran church in Hartland at 2:30pm on Sunday, September 13th with visitation one hour prior. Pastor Marcia Pederson will officiate. Interment at Saint Peter’s Cemetery in New Richland will follow.

In honor of Larry, please have a hamburger, a Pop Tart, some cranberry sauce, or some ice cream. Those four “food groups” were part of the secret to his spunk and longevity.