John Larsen

John William Larsen
March 7th, 1927 - October 16th, 2023
Born March 7, 1927 in Copenhagen, Denmark, John W. Larsen of New Hope, Pennsylvania, passed away on Monday, October 16, 2023 at The Bridges at Warwick residence in Jamison, PA.
Born to prizefighter Ivan Larsen and Frances Greene Larsen, the family arrived in The Bronx, NY from Denmark when John was 4 years old. Soon after, Frances suddenly passed from Scarlet Fever. To earn a living during the Depression, Ivan was forced to travel as an Arsenic salesman; and at the age of 5, John was placed in the Jewish Home for Boys in Pleasantville, NY. John loved to cook and by the age of 9 was single-handedly running the kitchen at the orphanage.
At 16, John left the orphanage after 11 years to move in with his father Ivan who had remarried and settled in Wantaugh, Long Island, NY. Home life wasn't exciting enough for John so he moved to NYC to pursue work as an actor. 2 years later he joined the Navy during the final months of WWII in 1945.
Completing his service, John attended the University of Miami on the GI Bill. While studying Theater and working as an Actor, John met and married fellow U Miami Student Penny Price of Bay Shore, NY. They moved to New Hope, PA in 1960 where John spent over a decade as Vice President of Sylvan Pools and he and Penny had two daughters, Karen Frances and Elizabeth Price. Though their marriage ended in 1971, John and Penny remained friends until her death in 2016.
Not cutout for corporate sales, John left his job, burned his suits, and opened John's Place, a homemade food restaurant at 96 South Main in New Hope, PA. He did all the cooking himself and developed a strong local following which included young musicians who would play original music at the restaurant in exchange for their meals. Soon, John began receiving audition tapes from all over the country. Before long, he built a stage, installed a sound system, partnered with former brother-in-law, Peter Price, got a liquor license and, in 1974, John & Peter's, the iconic music club was born. In the half-century since, John & Peter's has been presenting live music 7 days a week, 365 days a year and is still going strong.
John nurtured rising talents like Mary Chapin Carpenter, Norah Jones, and Ween, as well as icons like Odessa, George Thorogood, Richie Sambora, Stanley Jordan, Leon Redbone, John Sebastian, Phoebe Snow, Arlo Guthrie, Purple Sage, Iron Butterfly, Martin Mull, Tiny Tim, and Penn and Teller. Rock, Blues, Country, Jazz, Novelty Acts, and Classical greats loved working at the club and having their sets introduced by this charismatic pied piper of a man who was crazy about music, musicians, food and community.
John was a tremendously loyal employer and was tirelessly devoted to the well-being and needs of his Staff throughout the years.
In 1984, John married Artist and Community Arts Advocate and Enthusiast, Robin Wilchar Larsen of New Orleans, LA. Together they raised son Sean Power. John and Robin opened galleries, raised funding for local arts programs, organized exhibits for emerging artists, promoted artists from across the country, and started the annual New Hope Arts & Crafts Festival. Their joint lifetime commitment would ultimately lead to the creation of the New Hope Arts Center on Stockton Avenue, which Robin directed until her death in 2009.
John was always a reliably generous benefactor in serving the New Hope community at large and served on the New Hope Borough Council, the Greater New Hope Chamber of Commerce, the New Hope Zoning Board, started the New Hope Restaurant & Bar Association and fundraising venue for community and individual causes. Whenever someone needed help, he felt a personal responsibility to resolve the situation for the better.
John Larsen is survived by daughter Karen Larsen (Boston, MA); daughter Liz Larsen Viviano, son-in-law Sal Viviano, grandsons Alessandro Viviano and Joseph Viviano (NY,NY); son Sean Power, daughter-in-law Sheila Power, grandson Ian Power, and granddaughter Meredith Power (Solebury, PA).
He will be deeply missed by countless friends, neighbors, staff, family and by everyone whose lives he touched and changed forever with his kindness, creativity, unconventional style, and irrepressible sense of humor.
A celebration of John Larsen's life will be planned in his hometown of New Hope, PA.
In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations in John's memory to New Hope Arts, an organization he supported from its founding by Robin and providing support for community arts and artists.
Please note "In memory of John Larsen" in the note/memo field when donating.
Donations may be made by PayPal, credit card, or check as indicated at http://www.newhopearts.org/default.aspx?pg=1689.