Michael Larkin, volunteer at Smithtown Catholic school, dies at 44
Michael Larkin, a spirited father of four, volunteered at St. Patrick School in Smithtown. Credit: Julia Larkin
Michael Larkin, a husband and father of four young children who is remembered for his good humor and volunteer service with St. Patrick School in Smithtown, has died. He was 44.
Larkin died unexpectedly at his Smithtown home on Friday, his wife, Julia Larkin, confirmed. The cause of death was not immediately known.
Michael Larkin, who had a gregarious nature and forged lasting friendships, took on many roles, including devoted father, son, volunteer, coach of his eldest son’s football team and sometimes the comedian, friends and family said.
To Julia Larkin, “he was my best friend. We had so much fun together,” she said.
Born in Huntington in 1979 and raised in Centerport, Michael Larkin attended Harborfields schools and St. Anthony's High School, where he played on the lacrosse and football teams.
Kevin Lewis, 44, met Larkin in high school. Both were on the football team. Lewis, a receiver, was on offense. Larkin, a linebacker, was on defense.
“Mike was just one of those guys,” he said. “Just the nicest guy you'll ever meet in your life. Big guy. Just big smile. Big laugh,” said Lewis, of Ronkonkoma.
After graduating from high school in 1997, Larkin went to James Madison University in Virginia, where he studied finance. He eventually made his way back to Long Island and had worked at Worldwide Express in the Melville office since 2011, most recently as an area sales manager.
In 2011, Larkin also met his future wife through an online dating site.
“I knew the minute that I met him that I was going to marry him,” Julia Larkin recalled.
The couple got married in 2013. And a few weeks after their honeymoon, Julia Larkin found out that she was pregnant with the couple's first child, Michael, now 9. The couple would later have Katie, 8, Colin, 5, and Jack, 3.
As a father, Michael Larkin was described as being spirited with the children, chasing them around the house and tossing them around in the pool.
But he ran into some health problems. He found a lump in his neck and in 2018, he was diagnosed with cancer. He underwent grueling radiation treatment.
Larkin also was noted for his activity in his children’s lives. He helped coach his eldest son’s St. James-Nesconset PAL football team to a league championship, the family said.
He also was the vice president of the Father’s Guild at St. Patrick School. The group often helped out around the school, providing services such as setting up events and fundraising.
Matthew Fusco, a member of the Father's Guild, said he met Larkin three years ago, though he remarked that it felt like they had known each other for 30 years. Both were heavily involved in the school and have four young children.
“A fun night to us … was making ice cream sundaes with eight of our kids,” the 40-year-old Smithtown resident said. “That was our life.”
For Julia Larkin, memories of her late husband include his pranks of tossing water on loved ones and his role as her “protector.”
“He was my defender,” she said. “I knew nothing was ever going to happen to me. Nothing was ever going to happen to my children because he was there.”
In addition to his wife and children, Michael Larkin is survived by his mother, Lois, of Centerport; and siblings Patrick Larkin, of Morristown, New Jersey, Tara Tucker, of Centerport, and James Larkin, of Hummelstown, Pennsylvania. His father, Patrick, died in 2000.
A wake will be held Tuesday and Wednesday at the Moloney Funeral Home in Hauppauge, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Smithtown on Thursday at 11:15 a.m. Larkin will be buried at St. Patrick Cemetery in Huntington.
Michael Larkin, a husband and father of four young children who is remembered for his good humor and volunteer service with St. Patrick School in Smithtown, has died. He was 44.
Larkin died unexpectedly at his Smithtown home on Friday, his wife, Julia Larkin, confirmed. The cause of death was not immediately known.
Michael Larkin, who had a gregarious nature and forged lasting friendships, took on many roles, including devoted father, son, volunteer, coach of his eldest son’s football team and sometimes the comedian, friends and family said.
To Julia Larkin, “he was my best friend. We had so much fun together,” she said.
Born in Huntington in 1979 and raised in Centerport, Michael Larkin attended Harborfields schools and St. Anthony's High School, where he played on the lacrosse and football teams.
Kevin Lewis, 44, met Larkin in high school. Both were on the football team. Lewis, a receiver, was on offense. Larkin, a linebacker, was on defense.
“Mike was just one of those guys,” he said. “Just the nicest guy you'll ever meet in your life. Big guy. Just big smile. Big laugh,” said Lewis, of Ronkonkoma.
After graduating from high school in 1997, Larkin went to James Madison University in Virginia, where he studied finance. He eventually made his way back to Long Island and had worked at Worldwide Express in the Melville office since 2011, most recently as an area sales manager.
In 2011, Larkin also met his future wife through an online dating site.
“I knew the minute that I met him that I was going to marry him,” Julia Larkin recalled.
The couple got married in 2013. And a few weeks after their honeymoon, Julia Larkin found out that she was pregnant with the couple's first child, Michael, now 9. The couple would later have Katie, 8, Colin, 5, and Jack, 3.
As a father, Michael Larkin was described as being spirited with the children, chasing them around the house and tossing them around in the pool.
But he ran into some health problems. He found a lump in his neck and in 2018, he was diagnosed with cancer. He underwent grueling radiation treatment.
Larkin also was noted for his activity in his children’s lives. He helped coach his eldest son’s St. James-Nesconset PAL football team to a league championship, the family said.
He also was the vice president of the Father’s Guild at St. Patrick School. The group often helped out around the school, providing services such as setting up events and fundraising.
Matthew Fusco, a member of the Father's Guild, said he met Larkin three years ago, though he remarked that it felt like they had known each other for 30 years. Both were heavily involved in the school and have four young children.
“A fun night to us … was making ice cream sundaes with eight of our kids,” the 40-year-old Smithtown resident said. “That was our life.”
For Julia Larkin, memories of her late husband include his pranks of tossing water on loved ones and his role as her “protector.”
“He was my defender,” she said. “I knew nothing was ever going to happen to me. Nothing was ever going to happen to my children because he was there.”
In addition to his wife and children, Michael Larkin is survived by his mother, Lois, of Centerport; and siblings Patrick Larkin, of Morristown, New Jersey, Tara Tucker, of Centerport, and James Larkin, of Hummelstown, Pennsylvania. His father, Patrick, died in 2000.
A wake will be held Tuesday and Wednesday at the Moloney Funeral Home in Hauppauge, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Smithtown on Thursday at 11:15 a.m. Larkin will be buried at St. Patrick Cemetery in Huntington.
Education: Howard University
Tiffany Cusaac-Smith came to Newsday in 2023 after being a race and history reporter at USA TODAY, where she wrote enterprise and spot articles examining how the past shapes the present. Previously, she worked as the race and justice reporter at the USA TODAY Network of New York, covering issues such as criminal justice reform, housing, environmental justice, health care and politics. At The Journal News/lohud.com in Westchester County, she covered Yonkers, the state's third-largest city. She also worked at The Associated Press in Atlanta.
Honors and Awards: Criminal justice reporting fellowship with the National Press Foundation; New York News Publishers Association award for distinguished investigative reporting; Contributed reporting for Best of Gannett honor; Member of Table Stakes, a program funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and managed by the American Press Institute to transform local news.
