Mary Fulton Larkin

Mary Fulton Larkin of Holladay, Utah, passed away exhibiting love and spunky to the end. She touched the lives of so many with her smile and sense of humor, leaving a legacy of compassion.

She was born in Lansing, Michigan, the first child of Stanley and Kathryn Kyer Fulton. She was a precocious child, skipping a grade in elementary school and graduating from high school at age 17. She studied Nursing at the University of Michigan, where she met the handsome love of her life, Dennis Proctor Larkin. Mary and Dennis were married in Birmingham, Michigan on the 20^th of June 1959. She put aside her career as a nurse to raise three cherished daughters who came to their family. She found fulfillment in teaching them everything she knew. They lived in several places in Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, and Utah, but Michigan was the home of Mary’s heart.

Mary loved to pick wildflowers from fields, she loved to feed the birds, walk on the beach, and waterski on the lake. She loved to garden, propagate plants, and walk the dog. She was a renaissance woman! There was nothing too daunting for her to try. She sewed, she knitted, she played the piano even to her last year of life - sight reading! She caned chairs, upholstered furniture, wallpapered, painted, baked, canned produce, entertained, played tennis, snow skied, won all the games, traveled, and did everything for Dennis. She kept a neat and organized home and always found ways to serve her family and others. Being a nurse, she was tough! She never complained about an ailment and encouraged her children to be strong.

Mary’s faith in Jesus Christ showed in the way she lived her life. Her whole purpose was to serve others selflessly. She was ready with breakfast for whomever was in her home, and eager to help with everyone’s projects, wanting to make all our wishes come true. Mary loved to be a hostess and entertained many friends with dinner parties, empty nester home evenings, piano concerts and more.  Our family especially loved to gather around the piano at Christmas and sing as “Mom” played anything we requested. She was an accomplished pianist and generously played for anyone who asked. She played in church for the Primary, the choir, sacrament meetings and special musical numbers and loved every minute. Our family loved hearing her practice on Sunday mornings. It brought such peace into our home.

Mary and Dennis served a Public Affairs mission in Hong Kong, China. They grew to love the Asian people and those who were serving with them, adding to their list of lifelong friends. Touches of Asia could be found throughout their home, holding those memories dear.

As we have sat by her bedside this last week, we have been overwhelmed by the many people who have come to express their love to her and bid her farewell. She touched the hearts of so many and is dearly loved. She was preceded in death by her sweetheart, Dennis, her parents Stanley and Kathryn, and her sister, Ann. Mary leaves behind her three daughters, Claire Graham (Kevin), Julia Dapper (Ross), and Maren Larkin; 12 precious grandchildren, and 7 adorable great-grandchildren.

Memorial Lakeview Mortuary and Cemetery in Bountiful, Utah will be the final resting place of Mary Fulton Larkin.