Our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, George Edward Larkin peacefully passed away on August 27, 2020, at the age of 93. George was born on November 5, 1926, to Joseph D. Larkin and Edna M. Roach Larkin of Santa Paula, California. He was the eldest of 4 children; with two sisters, Betty and Martha, and one brother, Richard. All are now deceased.
George was raised in Santa Paula and attended Briggs Elementary School, and Santa Paula High School where he played both on the football team and the gymnastics team under Coach Randal Bryden. George loved his hometown of Santa Paula and had many great memories of living there. He also had a memorable nickname given to him by his many friends: they called him Punky because of his well-known love of pumpkin pie. He also had fond memories of beach camping with the Collings family. George loved the beach, especially body surfing.
George left school at the age of seventeen in his Senior year to join the US Navy. George loved his country and felt it was his duty to serve in the military as WW II was raging at that time. He served in the Pacific Theater and spent most of his time on Guam. Upon returning home, George attended California Polytechnic University at San Dimas. He received his degree in Entomology with an emphasis on Citrus, Avocado and Fruit production.
After George finished school, he married the love of his life, Delores "JoAnn" Horne. They were sealed together for time and all eternity in the Los Angeles Temple of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on April 20 1957. They had two children, Ron, who passed away three days after his birth, and Brenda Jo. Sadly JoAnn passed away in 1978.
George started his career working for Limoneira Ranch in Santa Paula and then moved on to manage a ranch in Moorpark. He then worked for Beardsly Pest Control, Ventura Coastal Lemon and Oxnard Pest Control. He concluded his career working as the manager of the Los Posas Orchards in Somis, California.
George served as Bishop of the Santa Paula Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for eight years. His congregation loved him very much. He had many other callings in church, and one of his favorites was serving as a missionary and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. He also loved doing genealogy and accomplished a great deal in that area.
George married Kathleen Creath Glanville on March19,1983, and they were sealed in the Los Angeles Temple. Together they raised their son, Daniel Larkin, in Moorpark, California. Danny has many fond memories of family vacations, beach trips and family gatherings. Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter were some of the many occasions the extended family had get togethers.
George was a family man and both Brenda and Danny knew how much he loved them. Brenda remembers lots of fishing and camping trips with her dad at the Ventura Pier and at lakes and rivers. Bridgeport, California was one of their favorite places. George also loved to garden by planting large backyard gardens and lots of citrus, avocado and other fruit trees. His parents passed this talent to him and he, in turn, passed it on to Brenda, who is an avid gardener.
George is survived by his wife Kathleen and six children: Brenda Siebach (Marlin), Cindy Alderete (Phil), Craig Glanville (Sharon), Christine Gwynn (Edward), Patrick Glanville Ferro (Leslie) and Daniel Larkin. He also has nineteen grandchildren and twenty-one great-grandchildren.
A family graveside service celebrating his life will be held at the Santa Paula Cemetery. Our family is saddened we cannot invite friends and church members; this is due to the current COVID-19 restrictions in place. Our family also would like to thank the Victoria Care Center for their loving care during the last two years, along with the Angel of God Hospice. If you would like to express condolences to the family, please visit www.reardonfuneral.com.