Obituary: U regent, Cargill executive David M. Larson had passion for business, education

David Larson was passionate about business and education, and a successful leader in both fields.

He spent his entire career at Cargill, and rose through the ranks in management positions in Kansas City and Minnesota.

He also loved the University of Minnesota and was a member of its Board of Regents.

Larson, of Wayzata, died Saturday at the age of 70.

Cargill Executive Chairman Greg Page called ­Larson a mentor and "terrific coach" for him and many other company executives. "He believed that it was important for leaders to be 'other focused' — for us that meant being focused on the success of our customers and employees," Page said.

In his 44 years with Cargill, Larson rose from trainee in 1966 to president of the feed division in 1983 to president of Cargill's animal nutrition and poultry group in 1995. He was named chairman of the American Feed Industry Association in 1990 and was elected a Cargill executive vice president in 1999.

He became known for his advocacy of corporate branding, quality, and employee recognition.

Larson's son Reid Larson of Plymouth said his father was aggressive in business but humble in attitude. "He was certainly a leader, but not one that necessarily needed to take the prize at the end of the day," he said. "He was always about being part of a team and not necessarily wanting to take all the credit."

Larson also was a member of the company's corporate leadership team and served on Cargill's board of directors before he retired in 2010. Longtime family friend and adviser Rick Chaffee said Larson was a "go-to person" at the company. "And if there was a troubled portion of Cargill, he was the fixer," Chaffee said.

Larson attended St. Olaf College and the University of Americas in Mexico City, and graduated from the University of Minnesota. He also served in Vietnam for a year.

While working as an orderly at a Minneapolis hospital, he met a nurse named Janis, and they were married for 43 years.

Larson's son David Lance Larson of Leawood, Kan., said that one of his father's gifts was to ask rhetorical questions that stimulated critical thinking. "At the end of the day, I feel like dad was two or three steps ahead of everybody," he said. "To some degree he was directing them down a path of success while letting them think they had everything to do with it."

University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler said Larson provided "remarkable" service to the U as a regent and donor.

Larson was elected to the Board of Regents in 2005 for a six-year term, and re-elected in 2011. He also served for 12 years on the University of Minnesota Foundation board of trustees.

In addition to his wife and sons, Larson is survived by his brother, Paul, of Chicago; sister Sandra Swartzmiller of Kalamazoo, Mich.; four nieces and nephews; and one granddaughter.