Reed Larkin

Age 37, of St. Louis Park, passed away on May 29th, 2024. Preceded in death by his father, Joe; infant daughter, Willa; and his best friend, Alex Simanek. 

He will be sadly missed by his mother, Karen; sister, Jenna; brother, Mike; nieces, Madelyn and Evelyn; many other family and friends. 

Raised on the shores of Lake Minnetonka, Reed was active in wakeboarding, sailing, snowboarding, skateboarding, pulling all-nighters and pranks with his friends.

Reed played guitar in a band in high school, “Behind The Eightball” - with his best friends Pat, Will, Bryce and cousin Patrick. His true passion was all things Pokémon – ‘gotta catch ‘em all!’ His favorite TV shows included Lost, The Simpsons and Arrested Development. He was quite the movie buff – favorites including Matrix and Star Wars. Also a video game enthusiast - favorites including 007, Zelda, Donkey Kong, and Mario Kart.

Reed was an avid reader, especially fond of “Shantaram," The “Lord of the Rings” and “Calvin and Hobbes” series. In honor of their dear friend Alex’s passing, Reed and Sam got the tattoo, “long days and pleasant nights” inspired from the “Dark Tower” series.

His educational journey began at Waldorf School, where he overcame numerous learning difficulties and developed creative abilities in thinking, drawing, juggling and acting. He starred as the lead role in the 8th grade Shakespeare play. For high school, he attended Holy Family, where he ran cross country, acquired straight A's, swooned the ladies and even sported pink hair for a while. Reed met his other best friends in high school who included Sam, Grace, Ellie and many more. Reed went on to attend the University of Minnesota - Duluth, where he participated in marathons, became President of the Accounting Club, and graduated early with honors - earning degrees in Finance and Accounting.

Professionally, Reed worked at Pricewaterhouse Coopers and TCF Bank, specializing in audits, a role he approached with enthusiasm and dedication.

 Reed loved being an Uncle – Madelyn especially brought out the little kid in him; they enjoyed being silly, playing Pokemon, and Beanie Babies. Madelyn says, “he was a really kind Uncle.” Furthermore, Reed had said, “since the age of 14 all I’ve ever wanted to be was a Father of my own.” When his daughter, Willa, was born – his world changed. Reed adored her and she became the absolute love and light of his life.   

Reed treasured his friends deeply, and was known for his warm, adventurous spirit. On February 20th, 2024 Reed said to Jenna, “I’ve lived a fuller life than most ever will. Bike-a-thons, marathons, oceans, restaurants, parasailing, college, home ownership, garage band, books, girls, skydiving, etc, the list is endless.” He will be profoundly missed by all who knew him.

A celebration of Reed’s life will be held Friday, June 14, 2024 at 2pm, with a service beginning at 3pm at Bradshaw Celebration of Life Center (2800 Curve Crest Boulevard, Stillwater). 

In lieu of flowers, Reed would have wished for donations be sent to Vinland National Center, PO Box 308, Loretto, MN 55357, a Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center he attended. https://trailblz.info/vinlandcenter/Donations.aspx?ver=2
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