Larry S. Marcks – Cowboy, Horse Trainer and Decoy Carver from Red River, WI

In my experience, the most interesting part of decoy collecting is conducting research to gather as much information as possible about a carver. More often than not, you run into a dead end and cannot complete the task, so what do you do? Usually, it is just a matter of waiting.

The following article is an example of this situation. I had a bit of information, but now can add (according to Paul Harvey) here’s the… “rest of the story”

Back in early 2021, I acquired a hen wood duck decoy at a local auction that was meticulously carved out of cedar and oiled with no paint—one of those decoys with great style that inspires you to acquire it—a beautiful bird with the name “Larry Marcks, Gresham, Wis” carved in the bottom. Through my research, I was able to find a cryptic address for Larry Marcks from Gresham, WI. So, I wrote a letter (who does that anymore?) in early 2021, hoping to get a callback about this decoy.

On November 3rd, 2021, I received a call from Larry Marcks. He confirmed that he was the carver of my decoy, but needed to see it before he could provide more information. He asked me to send his wife a few photos by email so he could give more details, which I promptly did. There was no response until June of this year, 2025.

A carving friend of mine was following up on a listing for cedar to use in carving. He asked me to accompany him to inspect the cedar blocks listed by the wife of a deceased carver. In a short time, I was able to put two and two together that we were going to visit Mr. Larry Marcks’ wife, Ann, near Gresham, WI, in the town of Red River. The wait was over to find out more about Mr. Marcks, and it was unfortunate to learn that Larry had passed away in November 2022.

Here is the rest of the story about Larry S. Marcks, Decoy Carver, Cowboy, and Horsetrainer from Red River, WI.

Larry was born in 1943 to his parents, Sylvester and Dorothy Marcks. Together, they had seven children and lived near Shawano Lake on a hobby farm. Larry was born, raised, and lived in the Shawano area his entire life. He graduated from Shawano High School in the 1960s and began working in the construction trades. He was a sheet metal worker, concrete mason, and eventually a very accomplished carpenter. While working as a carpenter, his woodcarving and artistic abilities emerged. He began carving in his teens and continued until his death.

Larry was very close to his grandfather, who was an avid waterfowler and sportsman. Larry hunted the Shawano Lake and Washington Lake area following in his grandfather’s footsteps. In addition to carving and hunting, Larry loved raising horses, cattle, and living the “western” lifestyle. He trained, boarded, and led trail rides at a local ranch. You rarely saw Larry without his Cowboy hat, big belt buckle, and his signature, long, curled moustache.

Larry’s first wife passed away in 1994, and He later married Ann Marie Lacy in 1997. With Ann at his side, they refurbished the family horse and cattle farm in the Red River, and he began to perfect his artistic decoy carving skills. His oiled and painted Ducks, geese, swans, and loons sold throughout the US, and he became known locally as the “Duck Guy”.

Larry carved his decoys using white cedar he harvested in the area. All his wood blocks were air-dried. His heads and bodies were cut from his patterns on a bandsaw, but that is where his power tool use ended. He carved with a pocket knife, draw knives, spoke shaves, files, and rasps. He hollowed some of his working decoys and even carved some cork decoys! His early decoys were oiled, but later he painted them with artist acrylic paint. He provided exceptional bill and tail carving detail, and some of his swans had beautiful, inletted feathers. All his decoys had glass eyes. Upon seeing many of his decoys, I can say that he carved just about every species of duck, including his specialty of Swans, loons, and shorebirds. He also carved beautiful duck plaques and dioramas. According to Larry’s wife, his total output of decoys was over several thousand or more. Larry’s work was well-documented in the local newspapers, including the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, over the years.

Unfortunately, I was never able to meet Larry in person, other than over the phone during our brief call in 2021. Larry passed away in November 2022 at the age of 78, after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.

While Larry was a cowboy at heart, he touched many people’s lives through his artistic work, which included carving decoys, training and raising horses, and maintaining his ranch in Red River.

As you might expect, Larry’s decoys are highly sought after by Wisconsin collectors, and a good number are still available, according to his wife.

Larry S. Marcks, Wisconsin Original Decoy Carver, farmer, Cowboy, and loving husband. One of a kind, as I learned firsthand.

As a side note, yes, I did acquire some of Larry’s hand-cut white cedar blocks and one of his old carving rasps… I can’t wait to use them!