With sadness but hope in the Resurrection, we announce the falling-asleep of our beloved sister, +Larisa Williams, on Tuesday, September 16.
Larisa played an essential role in the life of our parish, attending to countless details both big and small to ensure our community life ran smoothly. For many years, she served as the secretary of our Parish Council – a sometimes laborious job in which she demonstrated her diligence and attention to detail. She aided with counting of donations, cleaning the church, preparing annual lists of commemorations, maintaining directories with parishioners’ contact information, and ordering necessary supplies. Above all, Larisa was devoted to the liturgy – she often read the Hours and Epistle readings, and was always an eager participant through her prayerful and steadfast presence.
Photos of Larisa throughout the years: receiving a recognition from Archbishop Michael for supporting the Diocesan Benefactors fund in 2013; carrying an icon on the Sunday of Orthodoxy in 2011; and carrying the Paschal Artos on the joyful procession on Bright Monday in 2018, and at top, praying at the Paschal service in 2011.
For the last several years, Larisa struggled with multiple illnesses which made it difficult for her to be as actively involved in our parish life, which was a source of sadness for her, and for us as well. We offer our community’s deepest condolences to Larisa’s husband, Robert Herman, who cared for her throughout. With love and respect for Larisa, we now join together to bear her onwards in prayer, beseeching God to give her eternal rest where there is neither sickness nor sorrow, but rather, life everlasting.
The funeral services for Larisa were held on September 21 & 22, 2025, here at St. Andrew’s Church, with burial at Flushing Cemetery in Queens.
May the memory of the newly-departed handmaiden of God +Larisa be eternal!
A Eulogy for Larisa Williams
10-27-61 – 9-16-25
How can I sum up Larisa’s life in a paragraph?? I can’t! But what I can do is tell the story of how we met and fell in love.
I hired Larisa some 30 years ago, to work for the Federal Government. During the initial interview, I was blown away by her overall persona. She was pleasant, kind & intelligent; qualities clearly not a prerequisite for Federal employment. With my personal recommendation she was hired the next week.
In the coming months working with Larisa I can honestly say I have NEVER met a more caring, loving, & giving person in my life. I would need the whole night to talk about how many people she has truly touched with her love.
BUT I will give you only one. ME!
When I hired Larisa I was at one of my lowest times of my life and going through a bad divorce. Not only did she bring me back from a dark time but gave me a new light in my heart.
It did not take long before our friendship grew into a romantic relationship. She gave me a new lease on life. We went traveling, hiking & found our dream property with a rustic cabin in the Catskills that we both fell in love with and visited often. I did things that I had not done in YEARS!! I really had found my Soulmate.
During this time Larisa gave me her biggest gift yet. She introduce me to Orthodoxy and brought Christ back into my heart. Her Faith NEVER faulted and was truly an inspiration to me. She set a very high bar for me to follow. In thirty years of being married to Larisa I never heard her talk bad about anyone. Even though in the last five years her health deteriorated significantly she never once complained about anything.
Looking back on my life with Larisa there are many things that I need to thank her for. Most importantly, she showed me that true love was possible and demonstrated to me how a caring and kind person should act. Thank you Larisa for loving me and truly making my life worth living.
–Bob Williams