Community Remembers Pat Larkin (1929 – 2016)

Local legend had worked at Tomkins Cove garage since his father opened it in 1940

He was as reliable as the morning sunrise for decade after decade. Sadly, not long after his Tomkins Cove garage closed after 75 years in business, Mr. Larkin was also laid to rest this week. He passed away on New Year’s Day at the age of 86.

A motorcade of pick-up and tow trucks drove through Stony Point on January 6 in remembrance of Larkin. Larkin’s son Tom Larkin said his family was extremely touched by the outpouring of love from the community in remembrance of his father.

Larkin suffered a fall toward the end of 2015 and never recovered his mobility, causing various health problems that led to his death. The closure of his station was not directly related to his health, as he had already planned to close the shop due to massive expenses required to install credit card machines accommodating the new “chip” technology on credit cards.

A perhaps forgotten anecdote about Larkin’s garage: for many years it was the polling location on election day. It remained well known for offering full service at no additional charge, free window washing and for Mr. Larkin’s neighborly presence.