Obituary of Patricia Larson

Patricia Ann (Sheridan) Larson, a resident of Burlington for over 50 years, passed away at her home after a long illness on Friday morning, December 29, 2006. The wife of 51 years of Elmer V. “Bud” Larson, she was 69 years old. Pat was born in Bosotn and raised in the Pinehurst section of Billerica. She and her husband Bud settled in Burlington where they lived for 50 years and raised their six children. Pat had a passion for politics and campaigned for numerous Burlington residents in the quest for political office. She was a member of the Democratic Town Committee for over 40 years and was a past Chairperson. She was also a delegate for many years at the Democratic State Convention. Pat was a member of the Board of Registrars in Burlington for 34 years. Pat loved Cape Cod and always looked forward to her family vacations there. She had also taken a trip to Ireland. Pat’s family and friends where most important to her. She devoted her life to creating a loving home for her husband Bud and their six children. Pat was a loving and caring woman who will be missed by all who loved her. Pat is the beloved wife of Elmer V. “Bud” Larson, Jr. She is the loving mother of Debra & her husband John Davie of Burlington, Lynne Larson of Wellesley, Edward Larson of Burlington, Stephen Larson & his wife Dale of Woburn, Jon Larson & his wife Marcy of Burlington, Derek Larson & his wife Katie of North Andover. She is the sister of Laurence Sheridan, II of Georgia, Constance D’Entremont of Burlington, and the late Margaret Mitza, Richard, Robert, and Philip Sheridan. She is also survived by 13 grandchildren. Funeral from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Tuesday, Jan. 2 at 9 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington at 10 a.m. Visiting hours Monday 3-7 p.m. Interment in Pine Haven Cemetery, Burlington. Memorials in Pat’s name may be made to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute – Jimmy Fund, 10 Brookline Place West, 6th Floor, Brookline, MA 02445-7226. Eulogy for Patricia Ann Larson Our mother, Patricia Sheridan Larson, was born in Boston in 1937, the last of nine children, two of whom died young. Aunt Connie and Uncle Larry are with us, and Aunt Margie, Uncle Richie, Uncle Rob, and Uncle Phil are with our mother. Patsy, as she was known to most of you, grew up in Billerica, where Nana Sheridan had moved after her husband, a Boston Police officer, was killed in the line of duty. Nana raised her children with little money...but a whole lot of spirit. And love. And selflessness. And courage. Most likely when you think of our Mother, you think of her spunk. Her absolute love of life. Nothing pleased her more than company around her kitchen table, the table our father built for her. In the kitchen they both continually remodeled. Well, Dad remodeled as Ma told him what to do. Friends, neighbors, nieces, nephews, the football team were always welcome, and Sheridans, Mitzsas, d'Entremonts, and more Sheridans spent many a weekend on County Road. Everyone was always welcome and we are pretty sure that Patsy will expect Bud to continue with the open door policy. Our mother was deeply involved in Burlington politics. She was on the Board of Registrars for 30+ years, the Democratic Town committee for close to 40, was once the chairman of the committee, and both she and my father were delegates to the state conventions. She was old school politics...an Irish Catholic, party-line, life-long Democrat. She knew most of the people she voted for, on a personal level. Whenever a friend of hers was running for office -- and over the years there were many -- we kids had to join the campaign. Our job was to put campaign post cards in the mailboxes or doorways of entire neighborhoods. We grumbled, but along the way, step-by-step, door-to-door, our mother's values were instilled. You could say that our father taught us how to ice skate...but our mother taught us how to vote. Our mother raised six children, having her first baby at 19 and her last at 36. If you do the math, that is about 20+ years of non-stop child rearing. Not once in all of that time did our mother put her needs before her children’s. Not once did we see our mother sit to eat before any of her children were fed. If you think about it, that is amazing. That is a long time and a lot of meals for someone to stay that selfless, and she did this naturally. There are just so many other thoughts and occasions of her generosity and care that keep coming to mind -- but they all come back to one thing. Our mother's legacy was her love of her family. Her life was encompassed by this. In the Bible, Jesus said that your foundation is how the home is built and this is what will prevent the home from coming down. We are sure that many people can join us in saying that our Mother simply was our bedrock, our foundation. So no matter what comes our way, we persevere... .as my mother did through her final days, surrounded constantly by her family & friends. Our mother showed us so much courage. She really wanted no part of dying...and neither did we...but we reassured her that she could now see all of her siblings, her mother, and finally meet her father. He died when she was one month old. This helped a bit, but the truth is that she wanted to grow old with all of us & Dad. At times we tried to get off the subject, so we talked more about our family. We asked her to name her favorite child -- a going joke for a long time -- but she just raised her eyebrows and smiled. We all figured that we were shoo-ins -- but there was too much competition. Her 13 Grandchildren, for starters. And all of her nieces and nephews. Most of all, she kept asking about Dad, calling him, telling us to make sure we take care of him. As always, not worried about herself, she had to make sure her legacy, her foundation, her family was solid. Truth is, it was Dad that was her favorite all along. 51 years of marriage was the tell-tale sign. In the end, it all goes back to family & friends. Our mother not only built a rock solid foundation on County Road, she built lasting bonds of love & friendship that have been passed on to all she touched. She will be missed. Every day. Every election. And every Sunday at 2pm. We really thank for stopping by and visiting her, these past few weeks and all of the years before. Our mother really loved and lived for all of you. Thank you again for showing her so much support. God bless.