Obituary for Maria Larkin Sr.
Sister Maria (Vincent) Larkin, OSB, 93, a Benedictine sister of Mount St. Scholastica, Atchison, Kan., died Tuesday, May 25, 2021, at the monastery. Funeral services are pending.
Sister Maria Larkin was born in Denver, Colo., on March 22, 1928, to Myrtle and Vincent Larkin. She worked at the U.S. Bureau of Agriculture and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation before entering the Mount community in 1951. She made her perpetual profession on August 15, 1955. In her early years she taught at a number of elementary schools in Kansas. A lover of languages, Sister Maria spent most of her life teaching French and Spanish at the Mount Academy and Benedictine College. She studied in Mexico, Peru, Colombia, France, and at Princeton and Cornell University. She also was a missionary in Peru for three years. After her retirement, she earned local and national recognition for her ministry at the local jail, which continued into her 90s. In addition to providing Scripture aids, holding discussions, translating and receiving prayer requests, she stayed in touch with many former prisoners, offering them support and inspiration.
Sister Maria was preceded in death by her parents, brother Billy, and sisters Norma Nicodemo and Stella Larkin. She is survived by her sisters, Lois Ann Anthony, Denver, Colo; Sister Marcelle Larkin, Washington, D.C.; Nancy Kraemer (Ben), Orland, Cal.; and Charla Larkin, Leawood, Kan., nieces and nephews, and her monastic family. Becker-Dyer-Stanton Funeral Home (www.beckerdyer.com) is in charge of arrangements. Memorials may be sent to Mount St. Scholastica or made online at the Mount’s web site (www.mountosb.org).
Sister Maria Larkin was born in Denver, Colo., on March 22, 1928, to Myrtle and Vincent Larkin. She worked at the U.S. Bureau of Agriculture and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation before entering the Mount community in 1951. She made her perpetual profession on August 15, 1955. In her early years she taught at a number of elementary schools in Kansas. A lover of languages, Sister Maria spent most of her life teaching French and Spanish at the Mount Academy and Benedictine College. She studied in Mexico, Peru, Colombia, France, and at Princeton and Cornell University. She also was a missionary in Peru for three years. After her retirement, she earned local and national recognition for her ministry at the local jail, which continued into her 90s. In addition to providing Scripture aids, holding discussions, translating and receiving prayer requests, she stayed in touch with many former prisoners, offering them support and inspiration.
Sister Maria was preceded in death by her parents, brother Billy, and sisters Norma Nicodemo and Stella Larkin. She is survived by her sisters, Lois Ann Anthony, Denver, Colo; Sister Marcelle Larkin, Washington, D.C.; Nancy Kraemer (Ben), Orland, Cal.; and Charla Larkin, Leawood, Kan., nieces and nephews, and her monastic family. Becker-Dyer-Stanton Funeral Home (www.beckerdyer.com) is in charge of arrangements. Memorials may be sent to Mount St. Scholastica or made online at the Mount’s web site (www.mountosb.org).