Dixie State University faculty, staff and students are mourning the loss of a recently retired staff member over the weekend.
Kalynn Larson, the former Alumni Director for DSU, died of ovarian cancer just before midnight on Sunday. Larson retired from DSU last spring as a result of her cancer and was replaced by John Bowler in May. Bowler worked with Larson, training underneath her, and he said Larson was loved by himself and the rest of the alumni association, and they will all miss her.
“Kalynn leaves a great hole in the alumni association…she leaves a legacy for all of our current and future alumni, and we will miss her terribly,” Bowler said.
Russ Feller, a member of both the alumni association and the board of trustees, worked with Larson for over 14 years; he said Larson loved DSU alumni and DSU as a whole.
“She was sweet to work with, but she was also relentless; her work ethic was crazy,” Feller said.
Feller also said Larson’s husband Carl attended many events with her, and he was always incredibly supportive of her work for and with the school.
Larson also impacted students, like Brooke Sullivan, alumni events and marketing director, who went on to work for the Alumni Association. Sullivan met Larson in 2011 when she was a part of the Student Alumni Association and she said Larson was a great adviser and mentor to the students.
Sullivan said when she was a student, they didn’t have any events or a marketing director, so Larson was in charge of event coordinating while also working as the alumni president. She said Larson was amazing at planning alumni events while also doing the work of the alumni president.
“She knew the ins and outs of anything alumni related…she knew everyone in the alumni and made them feel special and connected to Dixie,” Sullivan said.
Bowler, Feller and Sullivan all agreed Larson made an impact on countless lives at DSU, and they are very saddened by her death.
Larson would plan alumni events and charter events all over the U.S. to help alumni stay connected to DSU and help them feel their “red sand roots,” Sullivan said.
A viewing is being held for Larson on Nov. 3 from 6-8 p.m. at Metcalf Mortuary followed by a funeral on Nov. 4 at 11 a.m. at the Bloomington Stake Center.
