Obituary of Darlene Larson

Darlene Larson, born Floella Darlene Forbes, was born August 27, 1939, at James Brown Hospital in Siloam Springs, Arkansas to Elsie and Floyd Forbes. She passed away peacefully in her sleep at home of natural causes at the age of 83 on March 7, 2023 in Pacifica, California. Darlene grew up in Santa Cruz, California, graduating from Santa Cruz High School in 1957. She attended Western Apostolic Bible College, majoring in Theology and Biblical Studies. She graduated in 1960, spending the next several years traveling to various states across the country as a Minister and Evangelist of the Gospel. Later in life Darlene started a second career working for IBM. She rose to the level of Executive Secretary in the San Francisco office. She met her future husband Michael D. Larson in 1974, they dated for four years until they married in Mesa, Arizona on August 9, 1978. After living in Los Angeles and San Francisco, they finally settled in Pacifica in 1983, they have lived at the same address there for the last 40 years. Darlene retired from IBM in 1994 and devoted the remainder of her life to her family. Darlene was a true world traveler. She and Mike visited over 75 countries, including Iceland, Spain, Caribbean Islands, Brazil, Peru, Egypt, Israel, Kenya, South Africa, to name a few. Darlene was a bright spirit, a loving minister, evangelist, wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend. She was a beacon of light, a fighter until the very end, wanting to live each day to its fullest. She will be deeply missed by her family; her memory will live on in our hearts forever. We take comfort in knowing that God has led her to a special place in heaven with his promise of everlasting life. Darlene is survived by Mike, her husband of nearly 45 years, her three sons, Gary, Greg, and Michael, nine grandchildren, Kyle, Erika, Cheyenne, Laken, Sydney, Bailey, Michael, Mason and Maddox, one great-grandson, Roman, and her sister, Lois. A visitation will be on Friday, March 17 at 12:45 followed by a graveside service at Santa Cruz Memorial Park, 1927 Ocean Street in Santa Cruz. Please visit www.scmemorial.com if you would like to light a candle or leave a message in Darlene’s honor.