Alva Lee Larsen

Alva Lee ""Al"" Larsen, 91, of Littleton went to be with his Lord on Tuesday, July 10, 2018 surrounded by his loving family. Al was born on December 9, 1926, son of the late Daniel Oscar and Rose Wilhelmina (Teden) Larsen. Al married his dear wife Carol (Zimmerman) on December 22^nd, 1962 and together they shared 55 wonderful and adventurous years of marriage.

Al attended Punahou School in Honolulu, HI until he and his family evacuated to the mainland during WW2. He finished his high school education at Bassick in Bridgeport, CT and enlisted in the army where he was trained as an engineer. After the war, he attended Yale and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. He later completed a Masters in counseling at Cal State University Los Angeles.

Al worked as an electrical engineer for the Hawaiian Electric company. Through his volunteer work with youth, he soon realized he wanted to change careers and pursued certification as a teacher. He enjoyed a long, fulfilling career teaching math, specializing in AP calculus, in Pasadena, California and helped develop national curriculum. Additionally, he had the exciting opportunity to teach in Musoma, Tanzania for a year.

Al enjoyed surfing for 77 years, having first learned in Hawaii at age seven. He was an avid mountain climber and backpacker. He led youth groups, family, and friends on trips all over the High Sierras in California, climbed Kilimanjaro twice, and scaled peaks in Canada and Alaska. He enjoyed traveling & camping with his wife, family, and friends. He was also a highly ranked chess player, having led the Yale team to second place in the nation. He won numerous tournaments in various parts of the country throughout his life.

But the defining part of Al's life is his relationship with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He had a rock solid trust in God as his savior, guide, and provider. His faith led him to serve others both through his home church Lake Avenue Church of Pasadena, California as well as in other locales. He leaves a wonderful legacy of trusting the Lord through all of life. He and his wife Carol lived by their favorite verse: ""Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."" Proverbs 3:5-6

In addition to his wife, Carol, Al is survived by his daughter, Ann Crump and her husband, Bill, his son, David Larsen and his wife, Dora, and his grandchildren, Matthew Larsen, Daniel Crump, Jacob Larsen, Amy Crump, and Joshua Larsen.

A private interment with military honors will be held at Fort Logan National Cemetery.

A Celebration of Life service will be held Sunday, July 29^th at 2 pm at the Concordia by the Lake event center in Littleton, CO.

Memorial donations may be made to www.sportsoutreach.net for their Christian chess ministry outreach in the slums of Kampala, Uganda where they teach children chess and disciple them to help them grow beyond their environment. This work was featured in the Disney film ""Queen of Katwe"" which was one of Al's favorite movies. In making donations, please denote that the gift is in memory of Al Larsen for the Ugandan chess ministry. Thank you very much!

Celebration of Life: July 29, 2018 2:00 pm

Concordia On the Lake
6155 S Ammons Way #110
Littleton, CO 80123
(303) 933-3449