Earnie Larsen was a pioneer in the recovery field

Appeared January 22, 2011 in Star-Tribune Newspaper

Earnie Larsen was ready to embrace any addict who wanted to come along for the ride to sobriety.

Away from the TV cameras -- which included those from the Oprah Winfrey Show and CNN -- and removed from the publishers who marveled at the books he'd produce every six months, Earnie Larsen loved to preach to homeless addicts and remind them: "You are not alone." In his latest book, published by Hazelden, Larsen began: "You are not alone, no matter how powerfully old habits may call out to you. You are not without resources of strength. Come along with that great cavalcade of recovering people, millions strong, marching to that better place that seeks to embrace you."

Larsen, 71, of Brooklyn Park, died Jan. 11 after battling pancreatic cancer. Yet, through his books, memorable speaking engagements worldwide and the cherished words he left at frequent appearances at a local Salvation Army and the First Community Recovery Church, he continues to encourage the addicted to keep battling their disease. "I'm an alcoholic and I met him at the Salvation Army in November of 2008," said Rick Loftus, 54, of Minneapolis. "He ran a class called Recovery Insights and he was there every Friday night. "He didn't care what your background was or what you did. He'd stand up before 130 detoxing alcoholics and say, 'You're better than that. I love you guys.'"I felt that he loved me."

When Larsen showed up in Center City at Hazelden to speak on Jan. 9, 2011, as he did the second Sunday morning of January every year, he knew he had little time to live. An overflow crowd of 500 listened to Hazelden's leaders praise the miracle of this man who preached miracles to the downtrodden.

"It was all about love for Earnie," said Hazelden Books Publisher Nick Motu. "He was not really concerned with making money. Many of the books he did with us, he gave away." Two months before his last book was scheduled to come out, Larsen met with an executive in Chicago. Instead of coming alone, he brought with him two addicts he was sponsoring. "He didn't think it was an odd thing," Motu said.

Lori Rolfsmeier, director of the House of Charity, a downtown Minneapolis facility that works with the homeless, called Larsen her "idol." "He was one of the greats," she said.

Born and raised in Omaha, Larsen was an ordained Catholic priest. He moved to the Twin Cities in 1970. He married in 1979, but one of the greatest changes in his life was having grandchildren. "They taught him many lessons," said his wife, Paula. "He was an excellent listener, always writing down and processing things," his wife said. He loved astronomy, history and "was very interested in a lot of things in life and that's why he related to so many people so well," she said.

In addition to Paula, his wife of 31 years, Larsen is survived by daughters Erin Macken-French and Cara Macken McNulty, and six grandchildren. A memorial service was held at the First Community Recovery Church, in Minneapolis.

Written by Paul Levy for Star-Tribune