Utah WWII sailor finally laid to rest after DNA helps identify remains


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MONROE — A Utah sailor who was lost in the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 was laid to rest in his hometown of Monroe Friday.

Family and friends gathered with community members to honor Navy Musician 1st Class Elliott Dean Larsen Friday morning.

"I thought the flags on Main Street and coming out to the cemetery was really neat. I hope people appreciate them," said Larsen's cousin, Connie Rae Parsons.

Parsons was 9 years old in 1941 when Larsen was killed on the USS Oklahoma after serving six years as a Navy musician. He was within days of coming home when Pearl Harbor was attacked.

"It was just a tragic time for our whole town, and my aunt and uncle were devastated with this when it happened," Parsons recalled.

The 25-year-old Larsen had been reported missing in action for 75 years.

"It's a time for him to be home. That is what I think about is that he is home," Parsons added.

Friday's solemn occasion was a moment his family never expected until a recent DNA match helped to identify Larsen's remains.

"It is just a real peace that we all feel, that his remains are finally here," said Lisa King, who is Larsen's niece.

A Utah sailor who died in the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 was laid to rest in his hometown of Monroe Friday morning. His remains recently were identified through DNA. (Photo: Sam Penrod, KSL TV)
A Utah sailor who died in the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 was laid to rest in his hometown of Monroe Friday morning. His remains recently were identified through DNA. (Photo: Sam Penrod, KSL TV)

Although she never knew her uncle, Parsons' and her mother's DNA were used in 2011 when the Navy began identifying remains interred for decades in a military cemetery in Hawaii.

Following a perfect DNA match, Larsen's body was flown to Salt Lake City this week.

His only living sibling, Betty Worley, said, "I am 95, and I am so grateful that I could be here when they found him."

She called Friday's memorial a happier moment than the service that was held in March of 1942, without her brother's remains.

"He was a very, very kind person, a lot of fun," Worley said. "I was so thrilled to hear of his accomplishments."

Larsen played the baritone in the Navy band. He had only been on the USS Oklahoma for one day before he and 428 other sailors were killed in the attack.

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