Edith Larkin

Edith Johnson Larkin peacefully entered her eternal home on Wednesday December 2, 2020. She passed only after living a full and purposeful life of 97 years. She was born in the small coal mining town of Rhoda, Virginia to the late Clinton and Verbena Johnson on January 3, 1923.Edith moved with her family to Kingsport when her father lost his sight and began her lifelong embrace of hard work. She worked for Area B making TNT for the WWII war effort. She also worked for Borden Cotton Mills. She was a blonde beauty that caught the eye of Roy Wilbert Larkin at a downtown sandwich shop and they were married January 2, 1947. Their marriage was a long and happy partnership until he passed in 2014. She was a loving mother and grandmother. However, she also mothered so many others, especially her brothers, her sister, her mother, her nieces and nephews. She would often administer tough love advice to each and then serve up some banana pudding or peach cobbler. Her home was a center of family action and where everyone came together to enjoy our great big family and draw strength from it. She was a comfortable with 20 for supper as she was for 3. Edith loved God and was a longtime and devoted member of Southview Community Church. Her church family meant so much to her. She was the nursery keeper for generations of her church family. She was strong in her faith and was also one of action. Anything that was needed she was more than willing to step in to fill the gap whether it be providing housing for visiting missionaries to making chicken and dumplings for a gathering. She was a tough, independent and outspoken before it was fashionable or admirable for women to be. There weren’t many tasks she was afraid to undertake with more energy than those half her age could muster. She did everything from making her daughter’s clothes and canning fruits and vegetables from her weekly outings to the Farmers Market to painting exteriors and interiors of the several rental properties she and her husband owned.In addition to her parents and husband she is preceded in death by her brothers; Raymond, Elmer, Bill, Elvie, Unga, and Manuel Johnson; sister, Agnes Brooks.Those left to cherish her memory are her daughter, Dian Graham and son-in-law, John Graham; granddaughter, Sara Greenberg; several well-loved nieces and nephews.Due to COVID-19 restrictions a private service will be held at Oak Hill Memorial Park.The family would like to extend their sincere thanks to the staff of Brookdale Colonial Heights for the great care and kindness they have given to both her and our family. We are also grateful for her personal caregivers from Care Central who have weathered this past unusual year of her life. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to feedamerica.org in her name.To leave an online condolences for the family please visit www.oakhillfh.com.The care of Edith Johnson Larkin and her family has been entrusted to the staff of Oak Hill Funeral and Cremation Services.Read Obituary