Mary Caroline Cole Larson was born into an Oklahoma pioneer family on January 16, 1930, in Oklahoma City. Her parents, Granville and Esther Cole and her older brother, Robert Cole, welcomed her. Mary met the love of her life, Robert Carl Larson, in Oklahoma City as a teenager. Robert told Mary years later when he walked into an OKC dance and saw a lovely, familiar young woman, he knew instantly, she was who he was destined to marry. He remembered he thought, "Oh, there she is." They were married in March 1950. Mary and Bob raised four children: Christy Lyn Larson, Katherine Cole Larson, Robert Carl Larson Jr., and Elizabeth Mary Larson.

Mary and Bob moved their young family to Tulsa in 1957 when he began his petroleum exploration business. Bob piloted a private plane to his well sites across the state, and by 1964, Mary had completed her flight training and served as co-pilot and his business partner.

Mary encouraged the family take up the sport of tennis. Mary and Bob were long time members of the Tulsa Tennis Club and Mary competed in local tournaments.

In the 1970s, Mary was a member of the Tulsa Junior League, she volunteered for the Tulsa Opera Guild and, significantly, was a leader for the Great Books Foundation in her children's schools. Later, as her children began to leave home, Mary went back to college to complete a degree she had put on hold when she started her family. By 1984, she had completed a B.A. and Master's Degree from the University of Tulsa in English and Modern Letters, a prestigious graduate program brought to TU by Professor Thomas F. Staley. Following college, Mary was hired as a professor of composition and literature at Tulsa Community College where she worked until retiring at 85 years of age. Mary spent 32 years making an educational difference in the lives of thousands of college students. Mary's joy of literature continued as an adult leader for the Great Books Foundation to the present. She was a lively and active member of The Tulsa Shakespeare Club, one of the oldest book clubs in the America, through May, 2026.

Mary Caroline Cole Larson died on July 10, 2026 at her home in Tulsa at 96. She was the wife of Robert for nearly 70 years (1950-2018), and mother to four children. Two of Mary's children preceded her in death, Robert C. Larson Jr. of Portland, OR and C. Lyn Larson of Tulsa, OK. She is survived by Katherine Cole (K.C.) Larson of Greenbrier, Arkansas, Elizabeth Mary (Beth) Larson of Tulsa, six grandchildren, Carl Larson, Lydia Larson, Joe Larson, Maia Larson, Graham (Evelyn) Cifelli, and Mason Cifelli. Two great-grandchildren, Meadow Larson, and Winter Larson will miss their GiGi. Mary also leaves a close group of dear friends and colleagues. A celebration of life service is scheduled for Saturday August 22 at 1:00PM in the Moore Funeral Home Rosewood Chapel.