Remembering Natalie Larmon: Leader, Colleague, Friend
Kristin Frankiewicz
On Wednesday, Oct. 31, Natalie Larmon, an Apra Metro D.C. member, died suddenly at the age of 37. Natalie was a George Washington University staff member, having joined the Development and Alumni Relations Research and Relationship Management office in the spring of 2016.
Natalie was an active volunteer within Apra and was respected and loved by her colleagues. She served as conference co-chair and treasurer for CARA (Apra's California chapter), and most recently had served as a programming committee member for Apra Metro D.C.
The Apra community, along with Natalie's colleagues, friends and family, grieve this sudden loss. Natalie was a bright individual and noted leader with a warm heart. In lieu of flowers, her family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to assist with arrangements related to her passing.
Below are testimonials and tributes to Natalie from colleagues.
"Natalie was a true gem, and we missed her instantly. She was joyous. She was serious. She was a strong and willing pair of hands. Always. She is a piece of our work family's heart, and we miss her so very much." – Anne Dean, George Washington University and Apra Metro D.C. Sponsorship Chair
"We are so saddened to hear of the passing of Natalie. We appreciated her enthusiasm for her work and know that this is a big loss. Our thoughts are with the GW team during this time." – Natalie's colleagues from EverTrue
"From the moment I first encountered Natalie, it was clear she had a unique spirit. She's left a big hole in our hearts here at GW, and our team is trying to find a path forward without her passion for our field, her penchant for anything and everything nerdy, and her constant solutions to our business challenges. She was the consummate team player and was dedicated to making the world a better place. Natalie was giving and thoughtful in the way she took care of those in her life. What I remember the most was the high standard she set for building relationships with colleagues — one that I'll try to emulate." – Lindsey Nadeau, George Washington University and Apra Metro D.C. Immediate Past President
"I had the honor of serving alongside Natalie on the CARA board of directors prior to her move to George Washington University. Natalie welcomed me with open arms and always had an infectious smile and a wonderful sense of humor. She was an active and engaged board member. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to call her a friend and colleague." – James H. Vermillion, UC San Diego and CARA President
"Natalie joined the Apra Metro D.C. Programming Committee in 2016 and played a vital role in developing and executing our roster of networking events, speaker presentations, roundtable groups and our annual conference. She always came to the chapter with fresh ideas and a true commitment to service. The Apra Metro D.C. family will miss her passion, enthusiasm and spirit." – On behalf of the Apra Metro D.C. Chapter
"I didn't have the opportunity to get to know Natalie as I would have liked, but space and time proved no barrier to us bonding as buddies. Natalie, like many of us in prospect development, absolutely loved trivia. She also loved fun. She was instrumental in introducing games, especially trivia games, to our CARA events. I will always remember that she told me we prospect development folks needed to recognize and embrace our inner nerdiness, because that's what makes us valuable on our fundraising teams.
Natalie and I also shared a love of history, so we kept in touch via social media once she moved to the east coast. Just days before she died, we chatted about historical things and the challenges of regaining her health.
I'm sure she's setting up trivia teams in the afterlife right now!" – Dori Cavala, American Cancer Society and CARA member
"Natalie, lovely Natalie. Smart, funny, exceptional good egg all around. She had collections (plural) of communities — CARA being one of many. She also had her train, her church and her trivia buddies intermingled there. She singled-handedly reworked CARA's books during the recession and got us back on solid footing, very wisely making recommendations that fortunately worked.
She was also a DJ in her spare time, and I found that out the first day of the CARA Conference in 2015 on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, where, for some reason, they didn't have a sound system for us. It is an old boat, after all. Natalie overheard me trying to figure out what to do and said she had something in her car. When she came back, she had a full sound system including microphones. ("I DJ on Saturdays," she said.) We were able to use it for the whole conference. Who has a full sound system ready to go in their car? Natalie Larmon, a one-of-a-kind colleague, friend and force of nature who will be truly missed. – Andillon Hackney, UC San Diego and former CARA President
"When Natalie joined the CARA board, our financial affairs were in disarray. Definitely not the ideal situation for a brand-new board member to step into, but Natalie immediately volunteered to take over as treasurer. Her hard work, enthusiasm and collegiality turned things around in short order and made a huge difference for CARA at a time when the economic downturn was putting a great deal of pressure on us. Her passing is a real loss to the profession." – Paul Goyne, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and former CARA President
"I met Natalie when I joined CARA, the California chapter of Apra, many years ago. Later we had the pleasure of serving together on the CARA board. I imagine others on the board will have mentioned this, but when she agreed to be the chapter treasurer, she took on a real challenge. Natalie's skill and courage in shaping up the chapter finances was a true achievement. Her direct, intelligent and creative ideas made all the difference, not only when she was treasurer, but also when she served as co-chair of the annual conference. Thoughtful and forthright, her conviction and commitment to our profession was impressive. She generously shared her prospect research and management expertise, and I looked forward to attending and learning from her insightful and well-planned presentations.
Natalie was witty, kind, smart and warm, and had such integrity. What I remember most, though, is that Natalie sparkled — her twinkly eyes, impish grin and full laugh — she just lit up. May her light continue to shine for all of us who had the pleasure of knowing her. Rest in peace, Natalie." – Maggie O'Brien, San Francisco State University and former CARA Secretary
Released: November 28, 2018 11:40 AM | Updated: November 28, 2018 11:40 AM
Keywords: Connections | In the Field