Larry Wayne Leininger

Larry Leininger, MD passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, at 11:15am on Friday, October 28 after fighting cancer for the past 18 months. Larry was born on June 3, 1947 in Burbank, California to Marie and Warren Leininger. He moved to Seattle in 1959 and graduated from Shoreline High School with honors in 1965. He went on to Seattle Pacific College where he met his future wife, Linda Swanson. He continued his education by attending Temple University Medical School where he graduated in 1973 and finished his residency at Oregon Health Sciences University in 1977. Larry established his medical practice in Longview, Washington in 1977, which was the beginning of a 44-year career as a physician and a healer. Larry was an accomplished pianist, athlete and woodworker but his greatest love was for his wife of 53 years, his four children, Aaron, Phil, Sonda, and Matthew, their spouses, and his eleven grandchildren. As a gifted family physician, his family practice started in Longview and Kalama, WA in 1978. The family then moved to Lancaster, PA in 1988, to Post, TX in 1992 and to Monmouth, OR in 1996. Larry and Linda moved back to Texas in 2002 where he practiced medicine for almost twenty more years before they finally retired last year in Canyon Lake. Larry continued his education and board certification and only stopped practicing medicine last year. Larry and Linda enjoyed cheering on their children and grandchildren in everything they did, and sang in several church choirs. Larry also loved hiking, woodworking, tennis, golf and boating. They even took up the RV lifestyle over these past few years to travel the south in search of God’s beauty and peace. Over the past 18 months, Larry fought brain cancer with dignity and determination. During this period, he spent time with his children, traveled to several amazing destinations and even completed the book he’d been writing for the past 25 years where he provided his lived experience to analyze and comment on the 650 prayers of the Bible. Larry is survived by his wife Linda; his sister Darlene Heth; and his children and their families: Aaron and Erica; Philip, Jennifer and their kids Sebastien, Jackson, Mia, Ella and Tristan; Sonda, Matt McGowen and their kids Ava, Addy, Alma, and Athan; and Matthew, Selena and their boys Ian and Kai. A private memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you give to your local church or charity in remembrance of Larry and continue to support and help others in need.