Joseph Wayne Larsen

Joseph Wayne Larsen, 71-year-old Burley resident and Cassia County Clerk, died Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at Cassia Regional Hospital in Burley, 11 months following a pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

Joe was born July 14, 1955, in Preston, Franklin, Idaho, the son of Farrel Donald and Lora Elizabeth Hansen Larsen. Joe was educated in Preston, where he was involved in drama and band. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and riding motorcycles. He graduated from Preston High School in 1973.

He was a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had an unwavering testimony of his Savior. He was called to serve in the Pennsylvania Harrisburg Mission from 1974-76, remaining close for the rest of his life with those he shared the gospel with. He was a special assistant to his mission president, Elder Hugh W. Pinnock.

Fifty years ago, he moved to the Mini-Cassia Area to begin a career in the funeral business. Joe attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. With one semester to graduation, he pivoted to mortuary school at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon, where he graduated in 1980 with an Associate Degree in Funeral Service Education on the Dean’s Honor Roll. After graduating, he was appointed Minidoka County Coroner in September 1981, a position he held for over three years and to which he was later elected unopposed.

While working in Rupert, Joe met and married Jamie RaLynn Pavkov, the love of his life, on April 19, 1984, in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. That same year, he completed coursework at BYU, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Finance. They settled in Burley to begin their long association with Payne Mortuary. Joe and Jamie purchased the mortuary in 1986, which they owned or operated until 2007. Continuing the Payne Family legacy of service was a source of tremendous pride for Joe and Jamie, and cemented lifelong friendships in every community of this area and across generations of families.

While in the funeral industry, Joe served as a trustee for the Idaho Funeral Service Association as President of the Magic Valley Funeral Directors Association, and was a member of the National Funeral Directors Association. In 1995, he was invited by the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards to write mortician licensing examinations for more than a decade. He was licensed in Idaho as a mortician and an insurance agent.

In the 2000s, he began side ventures in computers and photography. This led to a 20-year association with Ryan Thomas Photography, where he enjoyed taking school pictures and dances throughout Southern Idaho, photo editing, and large format printing.

With strong community encouragement, Joe sought the nomination for Cassia County Clerk in a competitive primary. After winning the election, he took office in November 2010, holding the role for 16 years until his death. He was reelected three times unopposed. He served as President of the Idaho Association of County Recorders and Clerks, chair of the Idaho Association of Counties Health and Human Services Committee, as well numerous other IAC committees. Governor Otter appointed Joe as the chairman of the Electronic Recording Commission. At the national level, he served on several National Association of Counties steering committees.

He was respected throughout the state for the expertise he developed in county governance, for innovation in election administration and security, and his commitment to sound governance, the rule of law, and responsible stewardship of tax dollars. In 2020, he received the Mills-Adler Award for Outstanding County Elected Official. Joe holds the distinction as the only person to hold elected county office in both Minidoka and Cassia Counties.

He was active in the church and the community. At church he served in a bishopric, on several high councils, as ward and stake executive secretary, and in all aspects of family history, among many other callings. He was director of the Burley Rotary Club and served as President of the Oakley Valley Arts Council.

Joe was a man of many talents, had many friends, and lived an active life filled with jet boating, water skiing, snowmobiling, golf, music, photography, computers, genealogy and family history, and flying his Cessna 206. The last decade and a half, he and Jamie enjoyed riding their Harley-Davidson throughout the West and Canada. He was an avid fan of BYU sports and the Utah Jazz.

Survivors include his wife, Jamie of Burley; three sons, Jared D. Larsen of Boise, Jordan W. (Alyssa) Larsen of Herriman, Utah, and Jade C. Larsen of Burley; four grandchildren, Jaxon, Madison, Haylie, and Sage of Herriman, Utah; four brothers, Jerry (Marie) Larsen of Preston, Evan (Mindy) Larsen of West Jordan, Utah, Val (Sheila) Larsen of Meridian, and Paul (Camille) Larsen of Weston; two sisters-in-law, Susan Larsen of Meridian and Gwen Larsen of Oak City, Utah.

He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Richard Larsen and Don Larsen; grandparents, Junius C. and Charity Rasmussen Larsen and Joseph H. and Eliza Ann Godfrey Hansen.

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Kevin K. Bodily at Wood Funeral Home in Idaho Falls. Services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, November 14, 2026, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Declo Stake Center, 213 West Main Street in Declo, ID, with Bishop Jared Keller officiating. Burial will be in the Pleasant View Cemetery in Burley. Friends may call at the church on Friday evening from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and from Noon to 12:45 p.m. prior to the funeral on Saturday.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials be given to the Oakley Valley Arts Council, P.O. Box 176, Oakley, ID 83346, or to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCan.org/donate).