IN MEMORIAM

The memorial service of Sally Larson

Sally Larson became a member of Plymouth Church in 1967. She was so active that the church hired her. She worked passionately for our congregation. In recent years she was active with BloomAgainBklyn, providing flowers to brighten lives. 

A memorial service for Sally Larson will be held on Saturday, October 18, 2025. This service will be livestreamed on this page.

Time: 2:00 PM (with a reception to follow)
Where: Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims
Entrance: 57 Orange Street, Brooklyn NY 11201

Sally B. Larson
September 18, 1936 – September 6, 2025

Sally Virginia Bates Larson lived a life defined by faith, family, friends and flowers. She passed away in Port Jefferson, New York on September 6, 2025, at the age of 88, surrounded by family and friends.

Sally lived a wonderful, full life. Born on September 18th, 1936 to Rhoda and John Bates, she grew up in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania with her brother John. She excelled at academics and sports at Swarthmore High School where she was the star goalie on the field hockey and lacrosse teams - a lacrosse team that went undefeated for the four years that she played goalie. She attended Mary Washington College, graduating and moving to New York City, enjoying city life in the late 1950’s where she attended The Columbia School of Social Work and worked at Sheltering Arms Children and Family Services. She married John Larson, of Wallingford, Pennsylvania and welcomed son John and daughters Elizabeth and Lucy. They settled in Brooklyn Heights, New York which would be home base for the next six decades.

To say Sally was supportive of her children and others in her community is an understatement. As President of the PTA at The Packer Collegiate Institute for many years, which all three children attended, she was a strong presence through their school years. Needless to say, she kept a watchful eye on John, Elizabeth, and Lucy. She never missed a sporting event and was one of the loudest cheerers on the sidelines. Clearly the competitive spirit she developed in her early years was passed onto her children.

Faith has been so important in her life. She was a member of The Plymouth Church Council and was involved in every activity of the church for decades - first to arrive, last to leave. On Tuesdays for many years, she led a braille group that made and bound books for the blind. She was so active in the church that they decided they might as well hire her. She worked passionately for Plymouth Church and later for Grace Church Brooklyn Heights for decades. She was truly the church lady and the hundreds or perhaps thousands of members of both churches were her friends. Few people were better known in Brooklyn Heights, as evidenced by her walks around the neighborhood where there was always someone she would stop and talk to. She was also an active volunteer in many community organizations, including The Women’s Exchange, The Brooklyn Garden Club, Mrs. Field’s Literary Club, The New England Society in the City of Brooklyn, Junior League of Brooklyn, Heights and Hills, The Daughters of the American Revolution, and BloomAgainBklyn. She gave her time and commitment to all of those organizations for decades.

Brooklyn was always home base but Shoreham, New York on the north shore of Long Island was her true love. First discovered by her grandmother Clarisse Bates in the early 1900’s and then serving as the summer residence of her parents, she raised her children on the shores of Shoreham every summer. She loved playing tennis, socializing at the Shoreham Country Club and having fun with all her friends and relatives at the beach where they would talk and laugh for hours at a time. Never one to shy away from a good time, she often hosted friends and family for “get-togethers” and her famous Labor Day Party was always the big event at the end of the summer, held after the Shoreham-Wading River tennis matches that she participated in for years.

As the years moved on she became the greatest Granny/Goggy for her seven grandchildren Jack, Harry, Kirsten, Anne, Matthew, Katie, and Allison sharing her love of all things Shoreham with them. Her sons-in-law, John (Elizabeth) and Kevin (Lucy), and daughter-in-law, Stephanie (John) were loved by Sally and they loved her dearly and they will all miss her terribly.

Four years ago, she suffered a stroke which made her final years challenging but she handled it with the grace, class and determination that she showed all of her life. While her leg, arm, and speech may have suffered, her attention to detail never wavered often pointing out to the kids a few things in the garden that needed to be attended to or a flower arrangement that may need a quick adjustment or a dead leaf removed! She spent many of her afternoons on the deck at The Shoreham Country Club overlooking the Long Island Sound with her family and so many good friends in Shoreham. The daily 3:30 pm trip to the deck provided a constant comfort and was a highlight of her day. All of the visitors, calls, cards and flowers over the past four years meant a great deal to Sally and helped make a challenging period a little bit easier.

And finally, the flowers. For Sally flowers were a gift from heaven, a gift to be appreciated, and a gift to be given to brighten other people’s lives. After church services, she spent many Sunday afternoons helping deliver beautiful arrangements to those who were in need of something to brighten their day. She volunteered for many years at BloomAgainBklyn, an organization dear to Sally where she volunteered two to three days per week.

Sally was preceded in death by her parents, John and Rhoda and her husband John. She is survived by her brother John Bates and his wife Nancy of Shoreham, NY, her son John Larson and his wife Stephanie of Lake Bluff, IL, her daughter Elizabeth Larson and her husband John Gursky of East Setauket, NY, and her daughter Lucy Malley and her husband Kevin of Norwood, MA, and her grandchildren, Jack, Harry, Kirsten, Anne, Matthew, Katie, and Allison, as well as many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 18th at 2:00 pm at Plymouth Church, Brooklyn Heights, NY. Sally lived a life of love, empathy, compassion, kindness and caring for others. May her memory bring joy to you and help your spirit continue to bloom. In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting BloomAgainBklyn (www.bloomagainbklyn.org/donate ), an organization so important to Sally.

Our Location

The entrance to our Sanctuary is located at 57 Orange Street between Hicks and Henry in Brooklyn Heights. We are close to the High Street (A & C) and Clark Street (2&3) subway stops.

Plymouth Church has an accessible ramp at 57 Orange Street and ADA restroom facilities.