In Memoriam: Larkin Elizabeth Rutkowski Hayman (1987-2023)

Larkin Elizabeth Rutkowski Hayman, a member of the Lycoming Law Association, died on January 17, 2023.

Obituary:

Larkin Elizabeth Rutkowski Hayman, Esq., 36, of Genesee, PA, passed away Tuesday, January 17, 2023 in the arms of her parents. In the months before her death, every effort was made to find help for Larkin’s deteriorating health which began with Covid. Her parents, brother Kris, and Aunt Sandy were sources of continual support in those final months. Broken hearts mourn the loss of a beloved daughter, sister, niece, cousin, and friend.

Born January 6, 1987, in Pittsburgh, she was the daughter of Deborah Jo Rutkowski and Barry K. Hayman. As a child, she loved Puffalumps and wore out the many her parents bought her.

Through Silver Bits 4-H Club, Pigs-R-Us 4-H Club, and Headwaters FFA, she was a Champion showman of her horses and production livestock animals. Her pursuits won six Pennsylvania State 4-H Championships, 18 District Champion and Reserve Championships, nine Potter County Fair Supreme Championships, 2003 ESMHA High Point Youth Pleasure Driving (undefeated), and numerous CVSC, KRA, NYSBA, ESMHA, and NYMHC High and Reserve Point awards in Halter, Showmanship, Equitation, and Pleasure. Love of animals and animal care were constants in Larkin’s home life. She especially loved her dogs, Coco and Keebler.

She was a 2005 graduate of Northern Potter High School, where she was active in track, softball, FFA, varsity club, ski club, yearbook, and served as president of National Honor Society. Through ski club, she had the opportunity to learn snowboarding, for which she had a natural agility and became a passionate practitioner of the sport. She listed it first in her yearbook list of likes.

A gifted artist, she was great at cartooning like her father and fabulous at ceramics. She won many art awards.

A 2009 graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice. In 2013, she earned her Juris Doctorate from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, MI. While living in Philadelphia, she helped neighborhood youth with their studies and did art projects such as decorating clay pots and planting pansies for Mother’s Day gifts. Larkin had a heart for helping youth.

Throughout her career, she was an advocate for the poor, disadvantaged, and abused, working with the Philadelphia Defender Association, A Way Out in Coudersport, and the Lycoming County Public Defender’s Office. She saw wrong and tried to right it.

She became a member of the Lycoming Law Association in 2022.

Surviving are: her parents, Deborah Jo Rutkowski and Barry Hayman; a brother, Dr. Kristen P. Hayman; aunts, uncles, and cousins. She was predeceased by her paternal grandparents, Ronald and Verna Hayman; and maternal grandparents, Eugene and Elizabeth Rutkowski.

Services will be private.

The family gratefully declines flowers. Memorials may be made to A Way Out, P.O. Box 447, Coudersport, PA 16915, Habitat for Humanity, P.O. Box 208, Coudersport, PA 16915, or Ulysses Library, P.O. Box 316, Ulysses, PA 16948.

Memorial Resolutions

IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF LYCOMING COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

IN RE: LLA BAR HISTORY
MEMORIAL RESOLUTION                                                                                       NO CV 23-00004
LARKIN ELIZABETH RUTKOWSKI HAYMAN,ESQ.

REPORT AND RESOLUTIONS

TO THE HONORABLE JUDGES OF THE ABOVE-NAMED COURT:

     TO: The Honorable Judge Nancy L. Butts, President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Lycoming County, 29th Judicial District, the undersigned have drafted Resolutions memorializing the Life of Larkin E. Hayman, Esquire. The Report and Resolutions are now submitted to the Court as follows:

1. Larkin E. Hayman was born on January 6, 1987 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Deborah Jo Rutkowski and Barry K. Hayman.
2. Larkin has one brother, Dr. Kristen Hayman, of Iowa.
3. Larkin is survived by her parents, of Genesee, Pennsylvania, her brother, and two fur babies, Coco and Keebler.
4. Larkin is also survived by extended family, including her Aunt Sandy, who, along with her immediate family, provided immeasurable comfort in her final days.
5. Larkin graduated from Northern Potter High School in 2005; she was active in track, softball, FFA, ski club, and was president of the National Honor Society; she was a natural born snowboarder.
6. Larkin's life was dedicated to animals; she won numerous 4-H awards and championships.
7. She graduated from Temple University in 2009, with a B.A. in Criminal Justice.
8. Larkin graduated from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan in 2013. 
9. Following law school, Larkin worked at A Way Out, counselling survivors of Domestic Violence in Coudersport, Pennsylvania.
10. She performed document review for Consilo Services before accepting a position with the Lycoming County Public Defender's Office and was a substitute teacher in Northern Potter School District, teaching in the schools that she had attended.
11. During law school, she interned with the Philadelphia Defender Association and Washtenaw Public Defender Clinic in Michigan.
12. Larkin's father described her Assistant Public Defender role as her "dream job."
13. Larkin provided legal representation to her indigent clients with the same compassion and kindness that she showed to the judiciary, her colleagues, her animals, and anyone in need.
14. She left a lasting impression with all who knew her; her smile would light the room. Larkin's demeanor brought a sense of comfort to all she encountered.
15. Since Larkin's passing, clients and colleagues have expressed deep sadness.
16. In her final days, Larkin maintained contact with her work family through texts, emails, and calls; she maintained a strong drive to continue serving her clients and to survive.
17. Larkin Elizabeth Rutkowski Hayman was a personable, kind, caring soul dedicated to justice and humanity.

AND NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that as a result of the passing of Larkin Hayman, the Bar of Lycoming County has lost a member who exemplified the professionalism and compassion expected of lawyers, and she will be greatly missed.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we, the undersigned, joined by the Lycoming County Bar, do recognize and mourn the passing of Larkin Hayman, Esquire.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that these resolutions be spread upon the Minutes of the Court of Common Pleas of Lycoming County and be published in the Lycoming Reporter.

FINALLY, BE IT RESOLVED that this Court and Committee and the entirety of the Lycoming County Bar extend to her family our deepest and heartfelt expressions of sympathy.

Respectfully Submitted:

s/Nicole J. Spring, Exquire

s/Taylor J. Beucler, Esquire