[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 160 (Wednesday, December 12, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1909-E1910]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IN HONOR OF LOIS NOLAN ``PAULINE'' LARSON
______
HON. JOHN B. LARSON
of connecticut
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, Thoreau famously said most
men lead lives of quiet desperation. My mother led a life of quiet
inspiration. Thousands gave witness to that and stood in line for more
than three hours to pay their final respects to Lois Nolan Larson,
affectionately known as Pauline. My family was deeply touched by the
outpouring of the community. It was a great tribute to my mother's
lifetime commitment to her community. Several kind statements of
appreciation were made by elected officials--from the President of the
United States to the Governor of our state; from Senators to House
Leaders in Congress and members of the Connecticut General Assembly. It
was, however, two articles--one by Tom Condon of The Hartford Courant,
the other by Bill Doak of our hometown paper, The East Hartford
Gazette, that captured the sentiment, feeling and appreciation of an
everyday mom who gave to her community and set an example to emulate.
The following are those two articles:
[The Hartford Courant, Oct. 12, 2012]
East Hartford Mother Left Legacy of Involvement and Action
(By Tom Condon)
Democracy works because good people give their time and get
involved. At the municipal level, few epitomized the ethic of
participation quite like Lois Pauline Nolan Larson of East
Hartford, who died this week at 87.
For decades starting in the 1960s, Mrs. Larson, known to
all as Pauline, served the town in most of the ways it is
possible to serve. She was a member of the town council and
the Democratic town committee, on which she served as vice
chairwoman and treasurer. She served on the town's parks and
visiting nurse association boards and the cemetery
commission. The community center in the Mayberry Village
neighborhood where she lived is named in her honor.
She volunteered her time while she and her husband were
raising eight children, and while she was battling multiple
sclerosis. She inspired two of her children to go into public
life. Her son Timothy Larson was mayor of East Hartford for
eight years and is now a state representative. Her son John
Larson is the seven-term U.S. representative from the 1st
District.
John Larson spoke of his mother's battle with declining
health in a televised speech at the recent Democratic
National Convention, and how she wanted not to be a burden to
her family. ``Mom, you're not a burden,'' Larson told the
convention crowd. ``You're an inspiration.''
Many in East Hartford nodded.
____
[From The Gazette, Oct. 18, 2012]
Lois ``Pauline'' Nolan Larson: Family, Politics and Mayberry Were Her
Life
(By Bill Doak)
Lois Nolan ``Pauline'' Larson, one of the stalwart mothers
of Mayberry Village and an influential leader in East
Hartford political circles, passed away Wednesday, October 10
with her family by her side.
She is the mother of United States Congressman John Larson,
and former mayor and State Representative Timothy D. Larson
of the 11th Assembly District.
Sunday night a line of mourners waited for up to three
hours outside D'Esopo's East Hartford Chapel on Carter
Street. Monday for Pauline Larson's funeral in St. Isaac
Jogues Church Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy, US Senators
Joseph Lieberman and Richard Blumenthal and Congresswoman
Rosa DeLauro were among the hundreds attending a Mass
presided over by four priests from the local and state
diocese.
Her daughters read a touching poem that, they said,
reminded them of their mother.
Congressman Larson reflected on the influence his mother
and father had and their love for one another, reunited at
last. Raymond Larson died 24 years earlier.
``The first thing my father would say would be `you're
late', said the Congressman. He thanked the many people for
their patience at the funeral home and those who made a
difference, caring for his mother during the later years of
her life as she battled Multiple Sclerosis and dementia. In
particular he thanked his brother, David, who served as his
mother's companion and caregiver at the family home on
Chandler Street until the decision was made to care for her
at Riverside Healthcare Center.
``Why,' my sisters would ask, does she have to go through
all this? Why does she have to suffer so?' The answer always
came back from her caregivers, `Why? She's here to be with
us.''
Lois Pauline Nolan Larson died peacefully on October 10,
2012 at Riverside Health and Rehabilitation Center in East
Hartford, surrounded by her loving family.
Born on April 9, 1925 to the late L. Edward and Carrie Mae
(Douglas) Nolan, she was raised in East Hartford where she
was a member of the East Hartford High School Class of 1942
and the National Honor Society. In 1945, she married her high
school sweetheart, Raymond E. ``Archie'' Larson, who
predeceased her in 1988.
She worked during WWII at Pratt & Whitney then worked part
time at the Travelers and various other jobs while her
children were young, then full time at several companies
including Thomas E. Toomey and the State Capitol. In addition
to her family, she loved her community and the Democratic
Party.
She was very active in many civic and community
organizations, including the Board of the East Hartford
Visiting Nurses and the Mayberry Village Revitalization
Association.
She served for many years on the Federation of Democratic
Women and the Democratic Town Committee, including as Vice
Chair. Pauline was among the first women elected to the East
Hartford Town Council.
While she always felt others were more deserving, Pauline
received countless awards and honors for her community
service, including the naming of the Lois Nolan Larson
Community Center in her beloved Mayberry Village. Pauline's
greatest attribute was the love she gave not just to her
family, but to everyone she came in contact with. She made
everyone feel as though they were the most important person
to her and nothing mattered more to her than what mattered to
them. Her caring spirit was a gift to her children and their
friends, who were always welcome at the ``brick mansion'' at
10 Chandler.
Pauline was predeceased by her sister, Eleanor Nolan Elton.
She leaves behind her eight children and their spouses:
Sharon and Kenneth Fitzgerald, John and Leslie Larson, Daniel
and Dorothy Larson, Christopher and Eileen Larson, Linnea and
Edward Bennell, David Larson, Marylou and Raymond Onidi and
Timothy and Nancy Larson; 18 grandchildren:
[[Page E1910]]
Maura Downes and Tim, Sean Fitzgerald, Megan Hurlburt and
Tyler, Carolyn, Laura and Raymond Larson, Eric Larson and
Sue, Glenn, Jeffrey and Deborah Larson, Samantha Jeter, and
Jon, Cori Larson, Joe Bennell and Natasha, Chaim Bennell,
Gina and Nickolas Onidi, and Matthew and Arianna Larson; and
11 adored great-grandchildren; she also leaves an niece,
Candace Bryan, and nephew Brian Elton; and several cousins
and extended family members. Pauline's family extends a very
special thanks to Dr. Roy Zagieboylo, Karen Chadderton and
the entire staff at Riverside who took such loving care of
her, especially Delanney, Kathy, Charmaine, Janet, and Maria
and many other who treated her with compassion and dignity.
____________________