Carol Larkin

Carol Larkin passed away at the age of 87 in Beaverton, Oregon on Monday the 19th of November, 2018. She was taking walks and enjoying life until mid-October when a pre-existing heart condition worsened.  

Carol was born June 17th, 1931 in Cleveland, Ohio to John and Carolyn McEwen. The family moved to Pasadena, California after Carol’s birth. She had a wonderful childhood with an outdoor playhouse that was the envy of the neighborhood and her spiffy pedal car parked out front. Carol and her friend Marie pushed their doll carriages together and remained friends through the years. She excelled in figure skating, coming very close to qualifying for the Olympics. Skating was replaced with the demands of college. She graduated from Whittier College and went on to the University of Southern California for her Masters in interior design. After graduating she opened her own design business, Carol’s Past and Present. She did commercial design in Los Angeles. Her jobs included the round Capitol Records building and the Queen of Angels Hospital. 

It was through her business that she met Bill Larkin. They married in 1957 and their daughter Laurie arrived in 1959. Carol closed her store and continued doing independent interior design work as well as working for Columbia Pictures designing offices and dressing rooms for movie stars.  

In 1969, seeking a change from LA’s growing population, the family moved to Stevensville with one chicken and three Weimaraners. Carol and Bill opened Silly Billy’s, then Billy’s Carpet and Design, and later Carol opened her health food store. She really enjoyed natural foods as well as creating a beautiful store for shoppers and friends.  

Carol is survived by her daughter, Laurie, son-in-law John, and grandchildren Katie and Carrie. Carol had a full and interesting life. She always had a story about her skating, the Hollywood days, or what the dogs were up to. No service is planned at this time.