JOEL ZINN
Dr. Joel Zinn, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, passed away on December 5, 2018 at his home in Westlake Village, California. He was 72 years old.
Joel was born on March 16, 1946 in Brooklyn, New York to David and Ruth (Coren) Zinn. He fell in love with mathematics at an early age, determining in the sixth grade that it would become his life’s work. He graduated from high school at the age of sixteen and earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Queens College. During this time he found his true love, Michele, whom he met while on a double-date with his best friend. They married in 1968 and, with their beloved dog Snooper, moved to Madison, Wisconsin for Joel to pursue his PhD in Mathematics with a focus on Probability. As the number of Joel’s degrees grew, so did his family, starting with Jennifer in 1971 and then David in 1973.
Joel’s career took him to UC Berkeley, the University of Minnesota, the University of Massachusetts, Michigan State, and in 1981 he received a call from College Station, Texas for an opportunity at Texas A&M. Despite agreeing with Michele that they would only stay 2 years in this new world, Joel worked as a professor at A&M for 36 years, creating a legacy of numerous published papers, the respect of colleagues, and the admiration of the countless undergraduate and graduate students he taught and mentored. He and Michele moved to Westlake Village, California after retirement in 2017 to be closer to their children and grandchildren.
Joel was gentle, kind, and fun. He loved travel, chess, Abbott and Costello, dessert, murder mysteries, and doing math on his yellow legal pad, yet his true passion was his family. His children have fond memories of snow tunnels, tree houses, and blanket forts. He cherished time with his granddaughters, Hannah and Molly, and would give them anything they would want – except the answers to their math homework.
Joel is survived by his wife Michele, daughter Jenny (Ricky) Kreitman, son David, granddaughters Hannah and Molly, and brother Fred. We love you, Joel, Dad and Papa. Your memory gives us comfort.
A memorial service will take place at Temple Adat Elohim in Thousand Oaks, California on Sunday, December 16 at 1:00pm.