LEIF LARSEN 1942-2021 O Captain! My Captain! Our fearful trip is done! The ship has weathered every rock, the prize we sought is won! Walt Whitman Leif Larsen, (a.k.a. Nordbo), longtime captain and owner of the Scandies Rose, died peacefully September 6, at Skagit Valley Hospital in Mount Vernon, Washington following a courageous battle with cancer. Leif was born at home, in Sandhaland, Norway to Lars and Ragla Olsen. Theirs's was a full house as Leif was the fifth of nine surviving children with Leif's grandmother living in the attic. While their life was modest, they were surrounded with love and care. They had one cow, one horse, 10 sheep and chickens. Dinner was often fish and potatoes, six days a week. In spite of this, fish remained one of Leif's favorite meals. From childhood, Leif longed for the sea and would gaze for hours at the sunset over the waters. It was often said that he was born with "fish blood" in his veins. Leif knew early-on that fishing was to be his calling and after finishing his formal schooling at 14, he worked for the Haugesund shipping company on Knutsen boats. Some years later, Leif received a letter from his brother, Erling, inviting him to America and agreeing to be his sponsor. At age 19, and in May, 1962, Leif immigrated to America and then worked with his brother as a carpenter in New Jersey. For this sponsorship, Leif would forever be grateful to his brother. In June of 1966, Leif drove to Seattle with friends and while in Ballard, met Raymond Alfsvag from Karmoy. Together they went to Alaska to get work on fishing boats. Leif's first trip was on the boat Fairbanks and after that, fished king crab on another boat. As time went on, Leif continued to work on fishing boats. His first job as a captain came in 1968 on the Keta and in 1969 he bought his first boat, the Toscibo, which he christened, Duell, the name of one of his father's boats in Norway. Leif fished salmon with this boat in the summer and king crab in the winter for eight to ten years. He fished for crab with his brother Olaf Larsen on the Hillary B and in the spring, they tendered crab with the Silver Dolfin, with Leif as captain. Then followed a series of boats on which Leif was the captain. In 1976, Leif was the skipper of the FV Pacific Viking, a 108 ft. crab, cod, tender boat, and from 1978 to 1980, Leif became partner, owner and captain of the FV Flying Cloud, a 124ft. crab, cod, and tender boat. In 1987, Leif bought the 130 ft. Enterprise which he later christened, the Scandies Rose. It was on the Scandies Rose that Leif spent many years as a Bering Sea captain. From 2011 to present day, Leif was part owner of the Pacific Sounder, a 98 ft. crab, cod, and tender boat. Despite the distance, Leif had a close relationship to his daughters, Astrid and Ranja and to his other family members. Leif's family was proud of all he taught them and saw him as an important role model. Leif was generous and insisted on sharing with family and friends. He loved meeting people and making them feel welcomed. He was fearless, and strong, exact in actions, efficient in duties and a commander who ran a tight ship with benevolence. When he did something, he did it 100 percent! He believed in honor and gave credit to others rarely accepting any credit himself. Best of all he had a great sense of humor and a unique storytelling ability so much so that family begged to hear his stories again and again. Leif's faith was important to him. In the 42 years of fishing in dangerous conditions, he never lost one life on any of the boats that he owned or captained. Leif gave the credit to Jesus. He had some close calls in the storms, but never lost faith. He believed Jesus got him though the storms. In 2002, Leif met Pam, the love of his life, and in 2005 they were married. They both shared a joy of life, entertaining, traveling, watching sunsets, dining out, and inviting guests to share in their laughter, stories, great food, and good humor and dogs. Leif was a great cook and enjoyed the smorgasbord of food that the sea had to offer. Together he and Pam were active members of the Camano Lutheran Church, and offered help and support to others in need. One could have no better friend than Leif Larsen. Leif was a steadfast husband, father, grandfather and friend. He is survived by his loving wife, Pam (Zahradnik); his daughters, Astrid Nordbo Nag (Oyvind), Ranja Nordbo Johannesseen (Gunnar), stepsons, Shaun and Chad Searcy and six grandchildren. Leif is also survived by his eight siblings, Olav Larsen, Astrid Karlsen, Erling Nordbo, Liv Nilsen, Reidun Melstveit, Kjell Nordbo, Marit Tronsen, and Gunn Nordbo. He leaves behind many special friends, including Oystein Lone and Nikolai Sivertstol. Leif was preceeded in death by his parents, Lars and Ragla Olsen. He will be missed. Memorial services for Leif will be held on Saturday, November 20, 2021 at 11:30 am with a reception to follow at the Camano Center. Please RSVP, 425.299.6090. Masks are required. Camano Lutheran Church 850 Heichel Road Camano Island, WA 98282 Camano Center 606 Arrowhead Road Camano Island, WA 98282