Patricia Quinn Larkins

Pat Larkins was born in Bishop, California, in 1922. At the age of 6 months, she moved with her mother to northern Mexico where her father was an accountant at a copper mine. She was the oldest of three children, including a sister, Kathleen Matthiesen, and brother, Peter Quinn. While in Mexico, "Patsy" attended both American and Mexican schools. At age 10, she returned to the States, to Santa Monica, California. In 1941, she attended Lawrence University, in Appleton, Wisconsin. After her sophomore year, she left college for Tucson, Arizona, to learn to fly, with the intention of joining the Women Airforce Service Pilots. When that program folded, she returned to college, at UCLA, completing her bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in Spanish in 1945. Soon after, she traveled to Japan with the American Red Cross, then to Germany with the State Department. In the early 1950s, she went to work at the Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS) in China Lake, California. There she met her future husband, Howard Larkins. After marrying him in 1953, she followed his job transfers, moving from Carpinteria, California, to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to Bloomfield, Connecticut, to Houston, Texas, and finally, in 1967, to Alexandria, Virginia. There she lived for 47 years, working most of that time as a realtor for various companies, most recently for Weichert. Shortly after retiring in 2013 (at age 91!) she moved to Greenspring Village, in Springfield, Virginia. Pat was an avid traveler, visiting China, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Russia, Norway and Alaska, among other places. Most important, she was the loving mother of Alan (Rosanne) Larkins and Karen Larkins (Myron McCrensky), grandmother of Theresa (Joey) Woodall, Denise (Charlie) Simons, Natalie Larkins, and Christopher Larkins, and great-grandmother of Matthew, Olivia and Elaina Woodall.
Relatives and friends may call at Everly Wheatley Funeral Home, 1500 West Braddock Road, Alexandria, VA 22302 Tuesday 2 to 4 p.m., immediately followed by funeral service at 4 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. Please sign the family guest book and leave your condolences for her family.

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