Lawrence Halling

Lawrence Robert Halling’s life ended in Rochester City, Minnesota on May 11^th, 2023, at the age of 94. Larry was proceeded in passing by his beloved wife, Shirley A. Bergerson, a native of Albert Lea, Minnesota.

Larry was born on April 6, 1929, in San Francisco, California, and was the only child of Lloyd N. and Irene G.(Campen) Halling. For more than 50 years he resided in Visitacion Valley, the “Little Hollywood” neighborhood, in the house built by his grandfather in 1916. He attended Visitacion Valley Elementary School, James Denman Junior High School, and graduated from Balboa High School with the class of 1947. He graduated from the University of California, Berkley, class of 1952, with a BA degree in Wildlife Conservation and commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers, USAR. He was called to active duty, trained at Fort Flagler, Washington, as an Amphibious Engineer, and attended the engineer school at Fort Belvior, VA. He served in Korea with the 74^th Engineer Battalion. Upon separation from the service, he returned to the University of California and earned a secondary science teaching credential. He did graduate work at both the University of Colorado and California State University Hayward. He taught science and mathematics at Encinal High School in Alameda, California, before being employed by the San Francisco Unified School District. In San Francisco, he taught at Herbert Hoover Junior High School for many years before transferring to Balboa High School where he taught for the remainder of his professional career. He retired in 1992, after 35 years as a classroom teacher, as the head of the Science Department. Throughout most of his professional life he was active in the American Federation of Teachers (AFT/AFL), and for many years he served on the Executive Board of Local 61. He was a charter member of the united educators of San Francisco, NEA/CTA/AFL/AFT.

In 1977, Larry was united in marriage with Shirley A. Bergerson. They had known one another for several years while teaching at Herbert Hoover Junior High School. They resided in Brisbane, California, for 27 years. During which time Larry served two terms on the Parks, Beaches, and Recreational Commission. In 2008, Larry and Shirley moved to Larry’s family home in Vistacion Valley, San Francisco. For several years, they divided their retirement time between Shirley’s family home in Albert Lea, MN and San Francisco. In retirement, Larry kept busy pursuing his many interests, but he was always ready to stop what he was doing to talk about the family pets who owned him, or Shirley’s latest project.

He will be laid to rest in Lakewood Cemetery in Albert Lea, Minnesota. According to his wishes, no service is planned. Larry would want friends to remember him by sending a donation to the Albert Lea Humane Society or a charity of their choosing.