Fredrick James Larsen

Fredrick (Fred) James Larsen, B.A. (English), M.A. (English)

Fred passed away after complications from cancer on August 31, 2026. He was in his 85th year. Fred is survived by dance partner, Lois (Pon, nee Pollock), sons Christopher John of New York City and Joseph Fredrick of Toronto, sister Carol in Abbotsford and special nephews, Gord Chore (Luanne) and Brian Chore (Jane) of B.C. He was predeceased by first wife, Patricia (Maher) in 2002 and son James (Jamey) of New York City in 2003.

Fred was born in Powell River, B.C. to Axel and Florence Larsen and experienced an idyllic childhood being raised from age 7 at The Spot, his parents’ motel on Wood Lake in Winfield, B.C. just north of Kelowna. He attended high school in Rutland and, for grade 12, at a new school in Winfield. After high school, he attended UBC in Vancouver for his B.A. in English. Fate-and a friend, Rhett Davis-conspired to take him to Toronto on graduation where he and Rhett joined Harry Harding of Toronto in a singing trio called the Hi-Lites. The next few years took him to New York City where he met Patricia Maher, proposing to her after dating for a week, and marrying her three months later. Son Christopher was born in NYC in December of 1965.

When the Hi-Lites disbanded after a final show on New Year’s Eve of 1968, the family headed for the Okanagan. Fred found work with NOCA Dairies in Penticton, B.C. where son James was born in July of 1970.

Fred was seeking further education and was accepted into McMaster University’s graduate English program. The family packed up-including preparing a banana box in the back seat for infant Jamey-and headed back East. After receiving his M.A. in English in August of 1971, Fred, Pat, Chris and Jamey arrived in Orillia where Fred commenced his first year of teaching at ODCVI in September of 1971. When Twin Lakes Secondary School opened in 1972, Fred joined as a member of the staff that opened the new school.

Over the next 29 years, Fred enjoyed a wonderful career working with students in his classroom and a terrific group of colleagues. He was often to say, “There wasn’t a single day when I felt I didn’t want to head off to work with students at Twin.” As a member of the English department, later to serve for a period of time as the Head of department, he found his calling in seeking to inspire students to a love of literature and the desire to write well. There was a true camaraderie among the Twin Lakes staff members along with a common goal-to help students become the best persons they could be, ready to graduate and find their ways into the wider world. His thirty years of teaching seemed to pass in a blink of an eye.

During these teaching years, Fred also became a strong member of the Ontario Secondary School Teaching Federation (OSSTF). He served as Simcoe District President twice, once in 1983-85 and then again for two years from 1999 to 2001.

He retired from teaching in June of 2001 to spend more time with wife Pat, who had been diagnosed with cancer in January of 2000. Sadly, Pat died in January of 2002. Son James, then living in New York City, was then diagnosed with cancer in 2003 and passed away on December 7 of that year.

After doing some supply teaching following the loss of Pat, Fred also did some teaching at Georgian College, taking on a first-year Communications course from 2004 through to 2010.

In 2005, Fred decided to return to the stage (his years as a Hi-Lite had led to a stint as Captain Von Trapp in 1972’s production of The Sound of Music, directed by Jackson Spear). He started rehearsals as Juan Peron in Evita in November of 2004 and by the time of the play’s production in May of 2005, was in love with Lois Pon, the partner he had been asked to dance with during the play’s first scenes. Fred and Lois were married in July of 2006 and lived in Oro Medonte following that event until his passing. He loved the “hills of Medonte.” Fred also enjoyed several years of ballroom dancing with Lois until the pandemic shut down the dance classes they both enjoyed.

It was during this time, however, that he also became involved in politics, working first on the Liberal campaign in Simcoe North in 2003, then becoming President of the Simcoe North Provincial Liberal Association, a position he held until 2014. He became the Liberal candidate in Simcoe North in 2011 and 2014-and then again in 2015 when Patrick Brown, PC party leader, was the Conservative candidate in this riding. He remained confident that the time would come when Simcoe North voters would recognize that Liberal candidates would serve the area more effectively than the area’s longtime Conservative MPPs. He was still waiting when he passed.

Over the past few years, Fred became more closely tied to the Orillia community. He joined the Orillia Vocal Ensemble in 2015, soon becoming President of the choir’s board of directors. He joined the Orillia Kiwanis Club in the same year, serving as President of the local club in 2019. In 2019 he became a founding member of Sustainable Orillia, serving as Treasurer and writer for the organization until 2024. He initiated the Sustainable Orillia Student Art Contest for local students in 2022. In recognition of his community involvements he was awarded the Orillia Citizen of the Year in 2020, the Ontario Medical Association’s Community Service award in 2021 and the Orillia Civitas Award in 2023 from Lakehead University.

One of his proudest achievements was having nurtured Arts Orillia over a ten-year span from its beginnings as the Huronia Cultural Campus in 2015 to the thriving arts organization that now provides such a variety of rich opportunities for local young people in the Orillia community to explore the arts and to find their confidence, their voices, their futures-and their joy-in the world of artistic creation and performance.

Fred would tell you he was one of the lucky ones, to live a life of accomplishment, travel, time with friends, his sons and nephews and nieces in B.C. He was especially proud of the different roads walked by sons Chris and Joe as they found their ways through life. He was grateful for the world he was born into and the various communities he lived in-and especially the community of Orillia.

Cremation has taken place. Visitation will take place at the Mundell Funeral Home, 79 West St., N., Orillia on Sunday, September 13th, 2026, from 1 - 4 pm., and on Monday, September 14th 2026, at St. Paul's United Church, 62 Peter St., N., Orillia from 3 pm until time of Service at 4 pm. Reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Arts Orillia would be appreciated.