Lara Berkmen, 14, Beloved Daughter, Fairfield Student

[Editor's note: This obituary was provided by Lesko & Polke Funeral Home.]

Lara Tanrikulu Berkmen, age 14, beloved daughter of Oguz Tanrikulu and Nevin Berkmen, passed away on Aug. 15, 2013, following a yearlong battle with leukemia. Her final days were spent in her home surrounded by family and friends. 



Lara and her twin brother Alp were born in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 19, 1999. Lara attended Bates Elementary School in Wellesley, Massachusetts. After moving to New York City, she attended PS158 on the Upper East Side. The family then moved to Fairfield, Connecticut, where Lara attended and earned honors at Riverfield Elementary and then Roger Ludlowe Middle School. Lara completed the 7th grade.

Lara will be remembered for her gorgeous blue-gold eyes, easy smile, and unflagging desire to please and help others. She excelled at flute, swimming, and language arts, and one day had hoped to become a writer. She had been a member of the Weston swim team and had been accepted to the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra. She enjoyed reading, writing, playing her flute, and trying new foods. She was known as the child with "an old soul" as she was wise, kind, patient and resilient beyond her tender years. Lara's life is to be celebrated and she will forever remain in our hearts.

Although cut too short, Lara's life was filled to the brim. In her few years on earth, she had learned three languages and traveled throughout the world; her favorite destinations included Italy and the Caribbean. Her summers were spent blissfully with grandparents and family, savoring the food and sunshine in Buyukada and Ayvalik, Turkey. She thrived in Manhattan.

Lara is survived by her loving parents Oguz Tanrikulu and Nevin Berkmen and twin brother Alp Berkmen; paternal grandparents Huseyin Harit and Nurten Tanrikulu of Ankara, Turkey; maternal grandparents Haluk and Sevim Berkmen of Istanbul, Turkey; uncle Omer Tanrikulu of Almaty, Kazakhstan; uncle and aunt Mehmet and Melanie Berkmen of Boston, Massachusetts; and many beloved cousins and family members.

While Lara's last year was incredibly tough, it was made easier through the love and support of countless friends, teachers, and caregivers. 

There will be a memorial service on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2013 at 3:15 pm in the Lesko & Polke Funeral Home, 1209 Post Road, in Fairfield Center. Friends may greet the family on Saturday from 12 p.m. to 3 pm in the funeral home, prior to the service.

The family would prefer memorial donations be made to:

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Connecticut Chapter -Main Office 372 Danbury Road, Suite 200, Wilton, CT 06897 lls.org or Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center P.O. Box 27106 New York, NY 10087-7106 mskcc.org/giving.

To find travel directions, order floral arrangements online, or sign her guest register, please visitwww.LeskoPolkeFuneralHome.com