Larry Wayne Houghton

Larry Houghton, age 71, of Middleton, Wisconsin, passed away peacefully from a long illness on June 20, 2023, at his home with his wife, Kirsten Houghton, by his side. A Celebration of Life ceremony will be held on Thursday, July 6th, at Olbrich Gardens, 3330 Atwood Avenue, Madison, WI 53704, from 4PM-6PM.

Larry was born on April 9, 1952, in Belvidere, IL, to the late Wayne and Jacqueline Houghton (Moore). Larry attended Western Illinois University and majored in history. Larry’s lifelong career centered around new home building and residential remodeling and he learned his carpentry skills from his late uncle, Bob Wilson (Cherry Valley, IL). After college, Larry lived for many years in the foothills outside of Denver, Colorado, where he attempted to climb all 14,000 area mountain peaks, skied, and had a great time with his college buddies; all while building homes in the mountains. Larry returned to Illinois in the late 1980’s where he met his future wife, best friend, and cheerleader, Kirsten. Larry and Kirsten married in 1992 and moved to Madison in 1997, where Larry continued his career in carpentry, and remodeling many homes on the Madison area lakes, Shorewood, and Nakoma. Larry loved to travel, both in the United States and abroad, and was an avid kayaker, bicyclist, golfer, and a huge Wisconsin football fan, attending home games at Camp Randall for 25 years. One of Larry’s favorite places from childhood was anywhere in Door County and he and Kirsten vacationed there several times each year without fail. Larry met his ‘Little” Corey Johnson in 1998 when he became a Big Brother through Big Bother and Big Sisters of Dane County. Larry and Corey, along with Corey’s wife, Tiffany, and their kids, continued a great relationship throughout Larry’s life.

Larry’s family would like to thank the Agrace Hospice team for their compassionate care and support, and also their many friends, family members, and Kirsten’s colleagues who stood by Larry and Kirsten during the challenges of Larry’s illness. We would also like to thank Rock Steady Boxing/Bakke Athletics, and especially Coach Patti Batt and her team, that not only worked out “Hard Guy” (Larry’s boxer identity), but also became a great source of strength, friendship, and support.

Larry is survived by his wife, Kirsten Houghton; nephews, Bennett and Aedan Applegate; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Erika and Jeff Applegate; aunt, Betty Wilson (Moore); cousins, Diane (George) Brown and Kathy (Rick) Daber and their children; and many distant Door County relatives.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County at 2059 Atwood Avenue, #2, Madison, WI 53704, or at https://www.bbbsmadison.org/give-2/donate.