Larson, 95, who died Dec. 21 from health ailments exacerbated by COVID-19, experienced lived the California desire. John and Marie Bender immigrated to Southern California from the Netherlands in the middle of World War I, on the lookout to create a better existence for their loved ones. In 2006, Bender even hiked Half Dome at Yosemite National Park on his individual, a 13-hour work.