Larry Lee Zimmerman

Larry Lee Zimmerman, poet, author, mathematician, teacher, lover of God, adored husband and father, was born August 25, 1931 in Portland, Oregon to Joseph and Wynne (Bloyd) Zimmerman. He spent his childhood roaming the woods, fields and creeks of North Bonneville, Washington with his brother David and more than one faithful hound. After graduating from Stevenson High School in 1949, Larry joined the US Navy (SeaBees) and was ultimately stationed in Newfoundland as a draftsman.

Honorably discharged from the Navy in 1954, Larry pursued mathematics and teaching degrees at Portland State University where he walked into an InterVarsity meeting one night and caught the eye of a dark-haired, dark-eyed beauty with a radiant smile. He soon asked her to marry him, and then asked again… and again. After the tenth time, she accepted, and thus began a romance that lasted for more than forty years and resulted in four little rascals, Nancy, Mike, Lisa and Paul.

After graduating, he began a forty-six-year career as a high school math teacher and sometimes administrator of Portland Christian High School. During his time at Portland Christian he helped to further develop and put into action a Biblical philosophy of Christian education. In 1963, Larry was awarded a National Science Foundation grant, which he used to pursue and obtain a Master’s degree in Mathematics. He consulted with accreditation committees for the Association of Christian Schools International and the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, thus helping to shape Christian schooling in the Pacific Northwest at Portland Christian and beyond.

Over the years he continued to study and speak on a Christian philosophy of mathematics, culminating in the writing and publication of his book, Truth and the Transcendent: A Christian Philosophy of Mathematics by Answers in Genesis. He spent his life pursuing and illuminating the truth that the God of the Bible was the Creator and Sustainer of the universe and that a repaired relationship with God and an eternal life with God came through a saving belief in Jesus Christ.

As fit his eclectic personality, Larry was as supportive of the Choir at PCS as he was a constant at most sporting events. During his years at Portland Christian he served as teacher, high school principal, head of the Math Department, and ultimately Master Teacher. He was known for his faithfulness, intelligence, and humor. He retired in 2006, at the age of 75. Soon after, he relocated to a small ranch in Eastern Washington, where he spent the final years of his life living near and helping his two daughters and grandchildren, indulging his love of reading and study, and tutoring various students in higher mathematics. He passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family on January 13, 2016. He was preceded in death by his father and mother Joseph and Wynne Zimmerman and his beloved wife, Sharon Zimmerman. He is survived by his brother David Zimmerman, children Nancy Zimmerman-Boord, Michael Zimmerman, Lisa Hess, and Paul Zimmerman and nine grandchildren.