Doreen Gardner Larsen's Obituary
With hearts full of love and gratitude, we announce the passing of our mother, Doreen Gardner Larsen, in the home and care of her daughter Sydney in Spanish Fork, Utah on May 12, 2026. She passed after a long battle with dementia, a disease that took her from her family far too soon. Although this disease did not allow her to be fully present with her family in the last decade of her life, we are grateful for the time we had. The sadness of losing our beloved mother is sweetened by the thought that she will finally be at peace.
Doreen was born in Ely, Nevada on July 26, 1956 to Van Cannon and Margaret Ashby Gardner. She adored her parents and siblings and loved her hometown of Lund, Nevada. She lived in Lund near her family most of her life where she raised her own children and enjoyed working on the family ranch. She attended Brigham Young University, where she played the clarinet in the marching band and then Utah Technical College where she was involved in the Rodeo Club. She moved to Cedar City, Utah after graduation where she met her first husband Lance Ruesch Matheson. They married in the St George, Utah Temple February 9, 1979 and shortly after, moved to Lund where they raised 6 children together. She later married Dennis “Denny” Jay Larsen February 5, 2011 and gained a son Jonathan and daughter-in-law Marisa. They moved to Concho, Arizona where they purchased and ran a ranch alongside her son Sam and his wife Jessica. Denny cared for Doreen as she battled dementia up until just before his own passing.
Doreen was the quintessential “cowgirl”. She was constantly around horses and cattle and became an expert horseman, a skill she later utilized as a business where she flew all over the country to help people train their horses. She loved the outdoors and took her kids camping, horseback riding, and hiking as often as she could. Her children have many fond memories of those trips. She was also an accomplished musician, particularly with the guitar, piano, and clarinet. She often sang in church choirs and many nights were spent around the campfire singing with her guitar, including her most unique ability, yodeling.
Doreen was a kind and loving mother. She played constantly with her children, no matter how silly or repetitive the game. She showed great compassion and empathy for her children and wrote notes of encouragement when they were struggling. She was a joy to be around with her sweet nature and fun loving spirit. She rarely lost her temper, and the very few moments she did were often followed by laughter as she struggled to stay in a bad mood. It just wasn’t in her nature. She loved deeply and was deeply loved. The disease that took her in the end may have altered her mind in her later years, but the memories we choose to keep are ones of joy, love, and laughter. She will be greatly missed.
She is survived by her children Sydney (Jason) Van Ausdal, Sam (Jessica) Matheson, Ben (Vicki) Matheson, Jack (Ivan) Matheson-Rojas, Betsy (Lawrance) Flake, Luke (Becky) Matheson, and Jonathan (Marisa) Larsen; 18 grandchildren; and brothers: Jeff (Rhonda) Gardner, Larry (Marcela) Gardner and sister Rhoda (Jay) Godfrey.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, May 23, 2026 in the chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Lund, Nevada with the viewing at 10am and the funeral at 11am.
Burial will be in the Lund cemetery.
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