Barbara Ann Larson

We will miss your kind spirit and sharing your love of nature and gardening.

The first time I met Barb was Christmas, 1980. I was dating her sister Sue, and it was my first time celebrating Christmas with their family at her parent’s home. Like Barb, I lived in the Chicago area, but she introduced me to some new foods. Following a traditional Swedish meal on Christmas Eve, I learned about Frango mints and competitor Fannie May. The Larson family loved a Swedish restaurant in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago called Ann Sather’s and Barb was the first to tell us about their cinnamon rolls, some of the best you have ever had. During subsequent holidays, Barb would often ride with us as we traveled from Chicago to Moline. The holiday would start with another restaurant I was introduced to, The Original Pancake House. To this day, I think of Barb whenever we dine there. Sometimes during our stay in Moline, Barb would accompany us to a terrific ice cream shop near Moline high school called Whitey’s. I found I also had something else in common with Barb – Chicago sports. We were lucky to have lived there during the Jordan area which made discussing basketball a joy, and the Bears gave us something to commiserate about. On Thanksgiving 1999, we all celebrated with Sue’s mom at a local restaurant – at the same time the Bears were playing. A television in an adjacent room was broadcasting the game, so Barb and I would alternate going over there to get the latest scores and highlights, then we updated each other on our return. We didn’t see Barb after our move to Texas in 2000, but I’m glad Sue and Nancy were able keep in touch with her over the last few months of her life. Godspeed Barb.

I remember Aunt Barb with her love of the outdoors. I remember her giving me as a gift Bushnell Binoculars and several bird books. I remember seeing Bluejays and the different birds out in nature. I remember the Thanksgiving table and her sitting around the family table. I also remember all the HO trains she gave me as a birthday or Christmas gift. I still have those to this day. Aunt Barb will be missed.

I remember Aunt Barb was always positive and full of energy! One of my fondest memories was around the holidays when we all went out for a meal. The table was full of the excited energy of the family getting together and sharing the most recent events. We talked about birds, and she always had the most vibrant and beautiful birthday cards and books. To this day I still don't know where she found them!

My sister Barb always remembered our families birthdays and anniversaries with perfectly appropriate & unique greeting cards. In addition, she always made sure that her nephews and nieces had an appreciation for nature by giving gifts such as a plush manatee, turtle and racoon puppets, Guide to Birds of North America book or Bushell binoculars. We fondly recall how Barb and Jim were at Stephen's first birthday with my parents when we lived in Elmhurst. The much-loved teddy bear that Barb and Jim gave Stephen that day is now adored by our grandchildren, and is sitting in the small child size rocker that my Grandfather made for my Mother some one hundred years ago. We are so glad now that we captured that day on video, so (then) one year old Stephen can now share it with his children. Barb had a great love of reading, and every summer we would all sign up for the Moline Public Library Summer Reading Program in downtown Moline. She took that a step further by cataloging all her own personal books with cards that included our signature, due date and a book renewal policy. Such fun we all had with the Barb Larson Library! Barb was also an avid sports fan. It started of course with the high school Moline Maroons, and we talked about their first basketball state championship in the school’s history last year. She also followed the Iowa Hawkeyes as well as the Chicago Bulls and Bears. Most recently, we discussed the exciting play of Caitlyn Clark during the NCAA tournament and her subsequent signing by the WNBA Indiana Fever. Lastly, Nancy and I treasure the recent phone calls we had with our dear sister Barb, as she is sorely missed.

Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.