Calvin News

“Even while battling cancer, Larry showed up,” said Tammy LaRue, director of pre-health advising at Calvin. “He believed that if he had breath in his lungs, he had a mission to fulfill.”

“I still remember when I visited Larry less than two weeks ago not knowing that was going to be the last time,” said Adejoke Ayoola, dean of the school of health. “Larry was so positive, laughing, full of energy, such that it was a shock to me to learn that he died less than two weeks after that visit.”

Larry Gerbens, 77, died on December 9, 2024, following a lengthy battle with cancer. He spent 30-plus years specializing in pediatric ophthalmology and surgery and was the co-founder and managing partner of Grand Rapids Ophthalmology. In 2007, he felt called to a new adventure—joining Calvin’s advancement division as a gift officer.

Called to Calvin

“He brought passion and energy into every conversation,” said Ken Erffmeyer, vice president for advancement, who worked closely with Gerbens during his tenure at Calvin.

Gerbens would walk into a room with a beaming smile, plenty of creative ideas, and a contagious enthusiasm.

“Larry saw his work as a calling and serving God’s kingdom. He wanted Calvin to excel,” said Erffmeyer.

Going beyond his title

While Gerbens ’69 secured gifts for Calvin, he also felt called to use his past experiences to help students thrive. For many pre-med/health students at Calvin, Gerbens was seen as a mentor, helping connect them to resources and contacts and providing them with guidance as they pursued med school and other future opportunities.

“He was not only a champion for our pre-med students, but he also took the time to mentor them individually, meet with them, and encourage them,” said Kumar Sinniah, biochemistry professor at Calvin. “He also had yearly meetings for the pre-health students and staff, that he and his wife, Mary, organized. Some of these meetings were to meet with Calvin alumni physicians who did tremendous service to society as physicians. I always looked forward to those meetings and the joy in our students’ faces. Those meetings inspired our students’ journeys into medicine and dentistry.”

Opening doors

Not only did Gerbens commit his time and expertise to helping students, he and his wife Mary also helped shoulder the financial burden for students, establishing the Gerbens-Gritter scholarship, which offers a full-ride scholarship to a student in the pre-med program at Calvin.

“Dr. Gerbens was a mentor and a friend,” said Jesse McCurdy, who was a recipient of this full-ride scholarship and who will start medical school in 2025. “He catalyzed the transition between Kingdom dreams and actual opportunities for students and staff at Calvin.”

“Dr. Gerbens was one of my pre-med mentors at Calvin,” said Natalie Anumolu, who is currently a resident physician at the Medical College of Wisconsin. “He always had an open door and gave kind, encouraging, and heartfelt advice to me and the rest of his mentees.”

Acting justly and promptly

Gerbens was generous with his time, and he was no respecter of persons. If there was a need, he would do whatever he could to joyfully fulfill it.

“Larry would go out of his way to support somebody in need,” said Ayoola.

“Dr. Gerbens demonstrated an active, James-like faith,” said McCurdy. “He was not content to remain passive on the sidelines while work and advocacy were waiting to be done.” 

Case in point, when John Ubels, emeritus professor of biology, asked Gerbens if he’d be interested in joining him during his three-week course titled “Eye Care in Mexico,” his response was decisive.

“He was immediately all in,” said Ubels.

Not only did he agree to go with Ubels and his pre-optometry, pre-medical, and nursing students to Tijuana to set up clinics in churches to provide used glasses to the underserved population there, he also quickly used his contacts to find someone who would donate the used glasses to the mission.

“I learned that Larry knew everyone in Grand Rapids and was well liked and respected,” said Ubels.

Showing compassion and integrity

What Ubels also learned as he continued to ask Gerbens to come along on these adventures when they were offered was “he was a natural in relating to students. In the three days of class before we left for Mexico, even though he had minimal teaching experience, Larry did a masterful job of teaching the students how to examine eyes, do refractions, and choose the appropriate used glasses,” said Ubels.

And once on the ground in Mexico, Ubels even more clearly witnessed the compassion and respect Gerbens had for all people during his career in medicine and at Calvin. “Larry was amazing in his interactions with children. He was like a loving grandpa whose expertise could solve difficult visual problems with very limited resources, while comforting and encouraging the kids and their parents.”

Whether at home or abroad, whether children or adults, through his practice and through his work at Calvin, Gerbens helped people see what loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength looks like.

“Calvin University shines because of people like Larry who showed unwavering integrity and care in everything he did,” said Sinniah.

Did you know?

Larry’s deep faith and love of art inspired him to collect original art based on the parable of the Prodigal Son found in Luke 15. He and Mary donated the collection to Calvin University where it is available as a traveling exhibit for schools, churches, and museums. The collection of more than 60 pieces, comprised of numerous media including sculptures, paintings, ceramics, and etchings, has been catalogued in the book, The Father & His Two Sons -The Art of Forgiveness. Larry often traveled throughout the United States with the exhibit, joyfully speaking about the great gift of God’s unending grace, love, and forgiveness.

Gerbens is survived by his wife of 55 years, Mary Sue Bajema; children and their spouses Liza and Khan Nedd, Heidi and Chris Bailey, Eric and Nicole Gerbens; eight grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Dan Gerbens.

Visitation will be held on Friday, December 13, from 4-7 p.m. at Zaagman Memorial Chapel (2800 Burton Street SE, Grand Rapids, Mich.). Funeral services will be held at Central Reformed Church (10 College Ave. NE, Grand Rapids, Mich.) on Saturday, December 14, at 11 a.m., with one hour of visitation prior beginning at 10 a.m.