Lawrence “Larry” H. Harper Obituary

With heavy hearts, we wish to share that Larry Harper, beloved husband of Ann Shipley-Harper, passed away peacefully on October 20, 2023.Larry was born August 24, 1938, to Hueston and Margaret Harper in Hemet, CA. He spent his early life in Hemet and was deeply influenced by farm life. Larry’s parents were teachers who also coached athletics at Hemet High.Larry went to Orange Coast Community College and later completed his Bachelor’s degree in Physics at UC Berkeley, where he married Liselott Anthes the mother of his eldest son, Frank Harper. In 1965, he received his PhD in Mathematics from the University of Oregon. By this time, he was back in Riverside and working part-time at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Larry began a post-doctoral position at Rockefeller University in the fall of 1965 with his mentor Gian-Carlo Rota. It was during this time in New York that he met and married Rosemarie Ocasio with whom he had 2 children, Will and Christina. In 1971, Larry was offered an associate professorship at UC Riverside, where he enjoyed a fulfilling career in applied mathematics and ultimately became a Professor Emeritus. During his tenure, he traveled the world to speak at mathematics conferences and found deep satisfaction collaborating with colleagues. Larry was well-regarded within the international combinatorics community and continued his life’s work until the last few months of his life. In 1990, Larry married Ann Shipley in Riverside and his family grew further to include Ann’s 2 children, Michael, and Karen. As a couple, they complimented each other and found common ground in their love of family get-togethers, dinners at the kitchen table, holiday cooking, and their annual trip to Pismo Beach. Larry was predeceased by his wife, Ann. He is survived by his siblings Louise, Steve and Carolyn, children Frank, Will, and Christina, step-children Michael and Karen, his grandchildren Jon, Roland, Aisley, Liam and Lauren, and 2 great-grandchildren.