June 3, 1955 – March 30, 2023 (age 67)
Blooming Grove, NY
William J. Larkin III of Blooming Grove NY, died unexpectedly on Thursday March 30, 2023. He lived a life of service to others, doing good quietly.
The son of William J. Larkin, Jr and Phyllis (Galle) Larkin, Bill was born in Bad Kreuznach, Germany where his father was stationed with the US Army. He lived in Maryland, Colorado, Heidelberg, Germany, Virginia, and Queens, NY before his family moved to Newburgh, where Bill went to Sacred Heart Elementary School and to Epiphany High School, before attending Siena College and Albany Law School of Union University. Upon graduation from law school, Bill married his high school sweetheart, Nancy McDermott. They made their home in Cornwall, where they raised the three sons who were the light of his life.
For over 40 years, Bill served the people of the Hudson Valley as an attorney. He established the law firm of Larkin and Ingrassia and represented clients in courts from New York City to Albany, including the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Year after year, Bill was identified by a peer review process as one of New York State’s top attorneys. Those awards simply formalized what was made clear through chance encounters his family had at deli counters, soccer fields, and gas stations, when strangers would approach to say, “Bill helped us more than I can say. We were in terrible shape, and he was so kind. I don’t know what we would have done without him.”
Bill read widely, with a particular interest in politics; he ably assisted in his father’s many campaigns for the New York State Assembly and Senate. Despite working long hours, Bill made time to volunteer as a coach with his sons’ soccer, baseball, and basketball teams, taking special pleasure in the years he spent with the Newburgh Zion Lions, especially their national AAU championship play. Bill was innately generous; when he enjoyed something, he wanted to share it, and took delight in seeing you enjoy it, too. Countless friends were introduced to gourmet treats, comfortable shoes, new technology, and fine wines when Bill motioned for them and said “I want you to try this.” He had legions of friends from all walks of life, people who may have had little in common other than the happiness they found in his company and the reassurance that Bill was someone they could count on.
To his family, Bill was more than a pillar of strength – he was foundation, girders, and roof beams. His entire family could turn to him for advice on matters large and small. He had a keen mind and a strong ethical framework; he invariably advised – and did – the right thing. He knew when he was needed and he showed up without being asked. This commitment and devotion reached their highest form in his endless love for his wife Nancy, whose company he delighted in for over fifty years.
Bill is deeply mourned and will be forever missed by Nancy and their sons Brendan Larkin of Washington DC, Harrison Larkin of Rock Hill, NY and Patrick Larkin of Blooming Grove. Also grieving his loss are his sisters Jan Stivers and her husband Dan of New Paltz, Patricia Winters and her husband Jim of Lancaster, SC, his sister-in-law Patti Jacobsen and her husband Alan of Gardiner, NY, his brother-in-law Fred McDermott and his wife Karen of Walden, NY, his beloved aunt, Josephine Costa of Troy, NY, and many cousins, nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents and by his mother- and father-in-law, Angeline and Fred McDermott.
Visitation will be held at Brooks Funeral Home on Monday, April 3 from 4 – 7 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Sacred Heart Church on Tuesday, April 4 at 11 AM, followed by burial at Calvary Cemetery.
Memorial donations in Bill’s memory may be made to the Newburgh Armory Unity Center, 321 S. William St., Newburgh, NY 12550.
