Obituary of Caroline M. Larsen

Caroline Larsen was born in Spring Valley, Illinois on 9-24-1918. She met Edwin Larsen in Chicago, Ill where they both attended a USO Valentine Dance in 1942. Caroline's story was she saw the Miraculous Medal peeking out of Edwin's uniform shirt and she knew then and there that he was to be her husband, as she had such a strong devotion the Blessed Mother. They married on May 6, 1944 in Blue Island, Illinois and moved into Edwin's family home in Tacoma, WA until they finished building their own house in 1950. They resided in that home where they raised their 6 children. Caroline remained in their home until November, 2007 when she had to move to Shirley Romanovich's family care home due to her diminished mental capacity caused by Alzheimer's disease. (The family wishes to thank Shirley for her loving care of Caroline over these past 7 years.) She passed away peacefully on October 11, 2014 at the age of 96. Caroline's many notable accomplishments included being a riveter on the B-26 bombers for WWII. She was a member of the Rosie the Riveter association. She was extremely proud of her Polish heritage, belonging to the Polish National Alliance and an extremely active member of the Polish Lodge associated with St Peter and Paul's Parish in Tacoma. She was fluent in Polish and enjoyed visiting Poland twice, meeting distant relatives and exploring her roots. She was famous for baking hundreds of lamb pound cakes during Lent, decorating them as the Pascal Lamb, and giving them to all who were significant to her, including mailing one to Pope John Paul, II. Caroline's faith is by far her greatest attribute. She was an active member of St Leo's Parish from 1946 - 1979. She then joined St Rita's Parish where she remained an active member until her heath prevented her participation. Daily Mass, praying the Rosary, attending retreats, visiting the homebound and bringing them Holy Communion, belonging to the St Frances Sodality, the choir, Prayer Line and being a Lector and Eucharistic Minister are only a few of the many ways she demonstrated this faith. She cooked countless meals for the homeless and poor, baked thousands of items to raise money for scholarships to Bellarmine, drove numerous people to church events when they couldn't get there themselves, cleaned the church with her dear friend Carmela Federico, and so much more than can be mentioned in this space. Second to her faith was her devotion and love for her family. Her husband was the light in her life, but her children, grandchildren and great- grandchildren were her joy. She showed no favoritism and loved them all with her whole heart. She was preceded in death by her eldest son, Joseph (1973) and husband, Edwin (1999). She leaves behind: Joey's daughter, Rhea and her 4 daughters Dana, Danielle, Ellen and Emily. John ( Julia) with daughter Tammy (Don), son Timothy (Cindy) and their children Zachery and Kateline, and daughter Teena (Bill) and their children Hayden and Meleah. Mary (Tom) with son Joe (Angie) and their children Baden and Colson, son Steven and his children Kendal and Caleb, son Eddie (Krystal) and his daughter Karlie, and son Tommy (Dommie). William (Naomi) and their daughter Brianna (David). Thomas (Mary) with daughter Lindsay (Bill) and their daughter Margaret, son Luke (Leighton) and son Mark. Therese (Don) with her son Matthew, daughter Patrea (Josh) and their son Xavier, son Darrell (Kayla) and son Andrew (Danika). A strong woman with a deep faith and love for her family. Rosary 9:00 AM and Funeral Mass 9:30 AM both on Saturday, October 18th, 2014 at St Rita's Catholic Church, 1403 S Ainsworth, Tacoma, WA 98405 The family suggests memorial contributions be sent to St Rita's Parish.