Plan for the Future
Irene T. Larkin, 95, of Berkeley Heights, NJ, passed away on May 23, 2023. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Teresa of Avila Church, 306 Morris Avenue in Summit, NJ on Friday, May 26th at 10:45am. Interment will follow at St. Teresa Cemetery. Relatives and friends are invited to visiting hours at Bradley, Brough and Dangler Funeral Home, 299 Morris Ave. also in Summit on Thursday, May 25th from 4pm to 8pm and Friday from 9am to 10am, prior to Mass.
Born and raised in New York City, the daughter of Thomas and Irene (Purdy) Larkin, Irene had also lived in Queens NY, Port Washington NY, Wheaton IL, and Summit NJ before moving to Berkeley Heights 20 years ago. As a young woman, she worked as an administrative assistant on Wall Street before leaving to start a family. She later worked part time with Doris Schneider Real Estate and Dempsey, Dempsey & Sheehan, both in Summit NJ.
If you spent any time with Irene, you knew that her focus in life was family, faith, and the blessing of good health. She prioritized immediate and extended family and devoted her entire adult life to her husband and raising her five children. Irene grew up in NYC, spending summers at her family’s Rockaway Beach house. Later in life she looked forward to the annual family two-week vacations in Bay Head and on LBI and Cape Cod. She successfully managed multiple cross-country relocations with five children in tow. She was intimately involved in her children’s lives – schooling, sports, and extracurricular activities. Many of her children’s high school and college friends became best and life-long friends with Irene. These relationships were facilitated by Irene’s incredible warmth, her ability to connect with people of all ages on a personal level, her intellectual wit and ever-present sense of humor.
Irene maintained an unyielding commitment to her faith and her relationship with Jesus Christ. She was a longtime parishioner of St. Teresa’s Parish in Summit, NJ. She enjoyed reading, listening to many genres of music both old and current, watching movies – mostly the old classics – and cooking. Her rice pudding, short bread and cheesecake recipes are famous!
Irene was the beloved wife of 65 years to the late Jean P. Larkin. She was the loving mother of Paul Larkin (Linda), Sheila Carney (the late Michael), Jean Larkin Jr. (Kim), Vincent Larkin, Maura Larkin (Glenn Dolan). She is also survived by her cherished grandchildren, Paul Larkin Jr. (Shannon), Kelly Sandman (Peter), Caitlin Larkin, Mike Carney and Patrick Carney and great grandchildren, Ava and Tommy Larkin, as well as many loving relatives and friends. In lieu of flowers, donations in Irene’s memory may be made to the Berkeley Heights Volunteer Rescue Squad, 378 Snyder Ave., Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922.
