Family and friends plan to gather in the Community Organic Garden of Sequim (COGS) this weekend to remember Pam Larsen, one of the group’s founders.

From 3-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12, the public is invited to share memories and stories at the celebration of life in the garden on West Fir Street between North Fifth Avenue and North Seventh Avenue, behind St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 525 N. Fifth Ave.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chair, as seating is limited.

Larsen, who died at the age of 81 on Jan. 12, started the Community Organic Garden of Sequim (COGS) in 2008 with Liz Harper and Bob Caldwell, following an idea sprouted from a local educator and students to create a community garden and preserve local farmland.

Larsen was passionate about organic gardening and would share her knowledge with anyone who would listen, family and friends said. She was also known for growing organic garlic, too.

In an interview about COGS several years ago, Larsen said organic gardening gives Sequim residents something to do and a way to connect with others.

Larsen was from Beverly Hills, Calif., and went on to teach women’s studies classes at California State University-Fresno and at a women’s prison.

She worked 30 years for the California State Compensation Insurance Fund in Fresno and retired in 1996 as the Fresno District Claims Manager.

Larsen moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1999 and eventually Sequim, where she taught organic gardening classes through the Clallam County Master Gardeners and COGS.

She also created the Rainshadow Planting Guide to help gardeners time planting vegetables, and she founded the Sequim Organic Gardeners group.

Larsen is survived by her partner, Diane Fatzinger.

Photo by Pam Larsen/ A Celebration of Life for Pam Larsen, co-founder of the Community Organic Garden of Sequim, is set for Saturday in the garden at 3 p.m. She helped start the Fir Street garden in 2008.