Larry Jon Baukin, touched many lives
Larry Jon Baukin, 75, of Vienna, Va., passed away Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025.
Larry was described by those who knew him as kind, gentle, knowledgeable, wise, creative, funny, multidimensional, terrific and irreplaceable. A unique soul that touched the lives of many.
Larry was a graduate of James Madison High School in Vienna, Va., in 1968, where he played trumpet in the concert band and was an editor for the school newspaper, Hawk Talk, his senior year. He began writing for literary magazines at this time as well. After high school, Larry attended Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., where he majored in English. He always had a strong moral conviction, and because of it he marched for peace in Washington, D.C., protesting the Vietnam War while he was in college.
Larry grew up reading pulp magazines, and his favorite genre was always the supernatural or paranormal. Although he started writing in his teens, he didn't find the voice he was looking to write in until he was 23 when he wrote a play called "The Western Hero," a play in nine scenes in 1973. The play began "writing itself," as Larry described, and what he discovered was that he was writing a combination of a ritualistic and surreal Western that had never been done before. This play opened up the floodgates for him to pursue the supernatural and paranormal genre, partly because it was something he was emotionally attracted to. The "Western Hero" ended up getting produced in a number of small theatres in the 1970s and then in the early 1980s after Larry became more involved in the paranormal and science fiction writing genre he converted the play into a short story form, which got published in a science fiction magazine in New York City called Space and Time. The story had always been dear to him because it had followed him in one form or another throughout his career.
After getting published, Larry began submitting his stories in small circulating magazines, writing about subjects involving ten in one carnivals or surreal Westerns that he wanted to read about. Contributing his influences to real life experiences and emotional responses to those experiences as well as the trickster energy, which is a constellation of characteristics and the atmosphere of the stories themselves. Apart from his successful writing career, Larry found major success as a magician, mentalist, master and pioneer of Bizarre Magick, psychic reader, entertainer and teacher through his works in the Esoteric Arts. Larry is credited as a legend and as one of the greatest and most respected psychic readers worldwide, always approaching his readings with empathy.
On the other side of the card, Larry had two successful careers as a photographer for the Department of Energy in the mid to late 1970s and as a branch librarian for the Smithsonian Institution libraries for over 20 years.
He was a devoted and beloved father to his two children, and husband to his wife, Kathleen, raising his children with unwavering unconditional love and supporting their individuality, education, and interests. He enjoyed traveling (most notably to New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Ireland), the company of his cat and the ritual of starting his morning with black coffee and a maple-frosted donut from Dunkin Donuts. Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, Va., was among one of his favorite places to experience some peace of mind away from the noise of everyday life, and for all of those who knew him he was never without his signature Fedora or Panama style hat.
He silently and courageously battled Parkinson's disease, but never let it hinder his passion for creating, loving, or living. He is survived by his wife, Kathleen Clark Baukin; his son, John "Jack" Newton Baukin; his daughter, Anna Katherine “Katie” Baukin; his sisters, Robin Howell and Jeani Scattergood; his nephews, Jeff Scattergood and Corey Joon Clark; his nieces, Lisa Scattergood and Melanie Newton; his sisters-in-law, Sue Clark and Patricia Silverthorn; and his cousin, Sally Hughes.
The family will hold a Celebration of Life Sunday, May 3, at The Barns at Wolf Trap, Vienna, Va.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Parkinson's Foundation, parkinson.org; and Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, michaeljfox.org.
