Obituary of Carol W Larkin

Carol Anne Wagner was born January 14, 1936, in Pittsburgh, PA and lived there until she matriculated at Thiel College in Greenville, PA. She was predeceased by her parents, her husband of 61 years, Harold Larkin, and three of Hal's children that she helped raise. Carol graduated from Thiel in 1958 with a degree in Mathematics. After graduation, she went to work as a research assistant at the Knolls Atomic Power Lab in Niskayuna, NY. It was through her work at KAPL that Carol met Hal. Carol married Harold F. Larkin in October 1960 in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Carol and Hal had two children, Bryan, born in 1961 and Barbara, born in 1963. Carol also helped raise Hal's four children from his previous marriage, Eric, Kris, Kathryn, and Wendy. Carol was a homemaker and a mother during the family's time in Idaho. She enjoyed hiking, camping, and backpacking throughout Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming with her family during those years. In 1972, the family relocated to Clifton Park, NY, where Carol lived for more than 40 years. Carol was active in her church, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, and her community. While Carol held a number of jobs during her years in Clifton Park, including 15 years at Garden Way in Troy, it was her volunteer work that she found most meaningful and fulfilling. She co-founded the non-profit organization CAPTAIN and supported their work until she died. Carol was also instrumental in the founding and growth of EPES, Popular Education for the People, an organization based in Chile that has a model that has expanded throughout Latin America and has reached Africa. EPES was founded by a missionary supported by Carol's church. That ELCA missionary, Karen Anderson, shared this: GRACIAS Carol! Carol was a dedicated, long-term board member of Action for Health in the Americas (AHA) the U.S. counterpart to EPES (Popular Education for Health), an organization in Chile that works to promote justice and dignity in health through education, empowerment, and community action. Carol was the treasurer of AHA for 15 years and meticulously took care of every penny. She worked enthusiastically on many fundraising initiatives (including helping to organize a concert at Prince of Peace (POP) with Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary) and his daughter Bethany Yarrow and always kept POP informed of all the activities of EPES. In 2006, she joined the U.S. delegation that traveled to Chile for the opening of EPES' retreat center in Concepción. She had worked actively to help raise funds to build the center and the EPES staff was so happy to be able to thank her in person. Carol will be remembered by the EPES staff and the AHA board for her kindness, generosity, dedication and loving support. We are so grateful for her warmth and friendship, her generosity and her legacy of service. Carol supported and promoted EPES for more than 40 years. Her last conversation with Karen Anderson was less than 48 hours before her death. Throughout her life Carol enjoyed spending time with her family and friends. She enjoyed playing cards (bridge, pinochle, hearts) and other games, and doing crossword puzzles in ink. She loved the game Quiddler and was the Champion Quiddler in the family. A visit with mom/grandma was not complete without a game or three of Quiddler. Carol also enjoyed her grandchildren, taking them to events like the Fourth of July celebration at Clifton Commons so they could enjoy the fireworks, a morning at the Saratoga track with breakfast and a tour of the stables, and introducing them to new treats like banana splits, peanut butter cookies, fresh sourdough bread from a local bakery, and Italian ice. Another staple of visits with grandma was watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. Carol had a great sense of humor that was appreciated by all. She also loved Cherry Garcia ice cream! In 2018 Carol and Hal moved to Brookdale in Niskayuna. After several happy years at Brookdale, Carol relocated to Eddy Village Green in Cohoes in December of 2023. Following an afternoon of visiting with family and friends on May 18, Carol died peacefully in her sleep on May 19, 2024, at Eddy Village Green. Carol is survived by her brother, Paul Wagner (Lois) of Campton, NH; sister, Barbara Warren of FL; son Bryan Larkin of Charles Town, WV; daughter Barbara Stevenson (Calum) of Coos Bay, OR and their children Kelsey Stevenson, Alina Stevenson (Peter Johnson), and Ian Stevenson; Hal's son Eric Karlin (Lois) of Stow, MA and their children Gaylyn Ruvere (Eugene) of Newtown, CT, Josh Karlin (Shelly) of Concord, MA; Kathryn's children Ivan (Yuli) Sykes and Will (Brianne) Sykes; and great grandchildren Julian, Simone, Noah, Cecilia, Ely, Ethan, Neil, DJ, Willie, Ty, and Theo. A celebration of Carol's life will be held at a later date. Gifts in Carol's memory may be made to https://actionforhealth.org the US arm of EPES. Family and friends are invites to share on-line condolences and memories at CatricalaFuneralHome.com