Kids. Veterans. Post Falls.

All three were priorities for former Post Falls Mayor Clay Larkin, and all three have greatly benefited from the efforts he put into working with others and planning for the future.

Larkin died Monday morning at Hospice of North Idaho's Schneidmiller House in Coeur d’Alene. He was 83.

His daughter, Alison McArthur, reported that his heart gave out after he had been ill for quite some time.

But how big his heart was and how it touched so many people in his lifetime is a legacy that North Idaho — and beyond — will cherish for years to come.

“This is a sad day for Post Falls,” Scot Haug, former Post Falls chief of police, said Monday afternoon.

“Clay was not only a boss, but a dear friend. He brought so many positive things to not only Post Falls, but to all of my life.”

Haug said when he thinks of Larkin, he thinks of his passion for veterans and children.

“He had a heart for veterans like very few people had,” Haug said. “I remember him being so excited years ago about the veteran housing coming to the west side of town.”

Larkin loved and believed in kids so much he started the Post Falls Mayor’s Youth Awards program in 2001 to encourage and recognize them for their good deeds.

“I remember going to schools with him and speaking to children,” Haug said. “He just cared about the youth like very few people do in elected positions like that.”

Larkin was instrumental in appointing Haug as police chief and swore him into office in August 2008, Haug recalled. Despite the economic downturn happening at that time, Larkin was a true mentor and collaborator.

“He was very nurturing. He was very guiding and supportive of not only the citizens and the city, but of me personally,” Haug said. “I will forever be grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to serve the community of Post Falls.”

Larkin served as mayor for 13 years, retiring with a big community celebration in 2014. Prior to that, he served on the Post Falls City Council for five years as the River City began to experience a population boom.

“He felt very honored to be part of a team that brought so many businesses to Post Falls,” McArthur said of her dad. “He would always say that it wasn’t about him. It’s always about teamwork; that was his favorite thing.”

Eve Knudtsen, dealer principal of Knudtsen Chevrolet, said Larkin and his team are a huge reson why Post Falls has benefited so much from the economic growth the county has experienced.

“He got it going,” Knudtsen said.

She recalled how councilman Larkin helped make it a smooth transition when she moved her business from Coeur d’Alene to Post Falls in 1998.

“Working with Clay, it was such a breath of fresh air,” she said. “He was so warm and so welcoming and he was involved with a lot of the details of making this happen.

“Moving is always difficult, building a new facility is always a challenge,” she said, “but Clay and the rest of the city made it tolerable.”

Larkin got to know Knudtsen and her family on a more personal level when he became a customer.

“He and Dad would sit there and chat, and it was so fun to be a part of that,” she said. “He helped me really become a part of the Post Falls community. He was supportive of me personally, my family, Knudtsen Chevrolet in every way possible. He will be missed.”

Larkin’s first go at public office occurred when he was elected to the Post Falls School Board in 1978. He held that position for about 10 years and served as board chair for four of them.

That’s when he first worked with Post Falls Superintendent Jerry Keane.

“He was a big advocate of the school district, as well as the city, and was always looking for ways to partner with us,” Keane said Monday.

It was Larkin who worked with Keane on where to build the first Boys and Girls Club in Kootenai County, which ended in a good deal with the school district.

“As time went on, we were able to give the land to the city and then the city gave it to the Boys and Girls Club,” Keane said, adding that that’s just one example of the many ways Larkin worked with others for the greater good.

“He was a heck of a leader for Post Falls. When he got on something, he wasn’t going to let it go, that’s for sure,” Keane said with a chuckle. “He was a guy who followed up.”

Keane said Larkin had a big impact on the Post Falls community and his laundry list of accomplishments is a long one.

“He is somebody I have great respect for,” Keane said. “His legacy is going to hang around ... for his leadership and all the work that he did.”

Larkin served on countless boards, commissions and volunteer projects, as well as serving his town and school district.

Former Coeur d'Alene Press reporter Brian Walker praised Larkin for his willingness to work with local journalists to spread the word about Post Falls. Walker worked closely with Larkin on numerous stories through the years, including coverage of the Greensferry overpass project.

"He was a friend of The Press," Walker said. "Clay was a stellar advocate for the environment, transportation and economic development. But, more than that, he was a great friend and overall advocate for Post Falls. He will truly be missed."

McArthur said her dad was instrumental in helping Post Falls get a Sonic Drive-In, where he always enjoyed a fresh fruit strawberry slushie or strawberry milkshake. An avid hunter and fisherman, Larkin also had a hand in Cabela’s and Buck Knives coming to the River City.

“Those were near and dear to his heart,” she said.

As a kid, when her dad was active with the volunteer fire department in Post Falls, McArthur said she remembers him not being home on Christmas morning because that was when he threw on the Santa suit and went out in the community with his firefighter family members to distribute gifts and food to those less fortunate.

“He always taught us to be sure we give back because we were given so much to be able to be on this earth,” she said. “He wanted to make sure that even if we didn’t have all the best things, we could always give back to someone else and make the world a better place.”