Kara Larson

1969 - 2019

Kara Larson CHARLOTTE - Kara Larson, proud mother of Chloe and Connor and beloved wife of Ed for over twenty years, died peacefully at 10:23pm on Sunday, November 3, 2019, following a seven-year battle with brain cancer. Kara was born on August 19, 1969, in Westchester, New York. She moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1999 to build a family. Kara was a fighter. She was also authentic, feisty, funny, vulnerable, loving, complicated, giving, persistent, adventurous, and so very beautiful. From the minute Kara was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma multiforme, one of the deadliest forms of cancer, she expressed her intention to travel. With a life expectancy of less than seventeen months, according to her doctors, Kara smiled and told Ed, "Don't worry about the costs of the travel to come; you'll just need to work a few more years." And travel she did. Following two brain surgeries and a year of chemotherapy in 2013, Kara zip lined in Costa Rica, hot air ballooned in San Diego, hiked the Alps in Austria, and fulfilled a lifelong dream of running in the New York City marathon, beating her good friend in the process. In a coincidence not lost on anyone, she passed on the same day as the New York City Marathon. Kara had an unbelievable ability to make friends. It came naturally to her. She would shop in her favorite stores like Marshalls or TJ Maxx, and you would routinely find her deep in conversation with a perfect stranger. People would open up to her and share stories and problems. She always had a new best friend in the making. Kara drew people close to her because she had a minimal filter and would say exactly what she felt. You always knew where she stood. While many welcomed it, others would be surprised by it. We loved her for it. When Ed met Kara for the first time at Boardy Barn in Hampton Bays, New York, he paid her a genuine compliment. Unmoved and very much in command, Kara shot back, "So how many girls did you say that to tonight?" It turns out Kara was the only girl whom Ed had paid that compliment to from that first night through today. When Kara got an idea in her mind, watch out, it was going to happen! Whether she was renovating the house or starting a new business selling girls' jewelry, she made things happen and was determined until it was done. Kara was a runner at heart. She held many track and field records from high school. As an adult, she ran four marathons and routinely completed one hundred-mile-plus bike rides and numerous triathlons. She cared deeply for us and encouraged us to exercise and eat right. Kara grew closer to God during the past seven years. She knew there was a higher power on her side. She believed that she encountered Jesus while collapsing into a friend's arms near the altar of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. Her faith and prayer life contributed to her surviving longer than expected because she had some big events in her sights. Kara prayed about making it to her fiftieth birthday and being there to watch Chloe graduate from high school. Kara lived to see both things happen. This summer Kara, Ed¸ and Connor dropped Chloe off at UNC Chapel Hill and helped her settle into her new dorm room. To help her fight cancer, Kara had the word "HOPE" beautifully tattooed onto her forearm. Then she got another tattoo on her ankle. She wanted Chloe's and Connor's names on her body. Late this summer, after a day out with friends, she added a final tattoo to her upper arm. It says "Ed." It's not every wife who would put her husband's name on her armbut Kara did. Kara is survived by her daughter Chloe (18); son Connor (17); husband Ed; father and mother, Bob and Lois McCormack, and brother Eric. Upon her passing, Kara donated her body for research and medical education to Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In lieu of flowers, please consider making donations to The National Brain Tumor Society at https://braintumor.org or American Brain Tumor Association at https://www.abta.org There will be a Celebration of Kara's Life service at Forest Hill Church, 7224 Park Road, Charlotte, North Carolina, 28210 on Saturday, November 16, 2019, at 10:30 a.m. May God continue to bless Karaour friend, sister, daughter, mother, and incredible wife.