Submit a PhotoLarry James Lawrence
Born 22 March 1944 (Petersburg, Virginia)
Passed 4 December 2020 (Gilbert, AZ)
Larry James Lawrence passed peacefully in the afternoon of 4 December 2020 in Gilbert, AZ embraced by his sons at his side. Larry survived his wife of 47 years, Paula Elizabeth Lawrence (Andersen), who passed 6 October 2015. He is survived by his two sons David and Erich, and 5 grandchildren: Ryan, Alex, Dylan, Ava and Ethan.
Larry was born in Virginia on 22 March 1944 and was adopted by Charles and Catherine Lawrence. His father held various positions in the U.S Government offering numerous opportunities to travel and live around the world especially Seoul, South Korea. Returning to the U.S. Larry graduated High School from St John’s Military Academy, attended Penn State University, then served in the Army from 1965 – 1968. Larry married Paula in West Haven, CT on 12 October 1968. Together, they began growing their family, first with David in 1971 then Erich in 1974 living together in the towns of West Haven, North Haven, and Guilford.
Larry earned Bachelor’s degree in Operations Management from the University of New Haven then worked in the Information Technology field supporting aerospace development at United Technologies’ Sikorsky Aircraft and Norden Systems for 20 years. Relocating to Arizona with Paula and his son Erich in 1995, Larry continued in the IT field with Allied Signal and Honeywell until becoming an independent contractor in 2002. Larry was a lifelong learner and earned numerous professional certifications including his Process Design Engineer, PMP, PMI,
Six Sigma Master Black Belt, and Black Belt Assessor certifications.
Larry eventually returned to the east coast to finish his IT career with and proudly serving the State Department in Washington, D.C. until retiring back to the warmth of Scottsdale, AZ in 2017. Larry stayed active volunteering his time helping others at Osborne Medical Center and at Scottsdale Stadium.
A private ceremony will be held on 28 December at the Gilbert Memorial Park Cemetery and Funeral Home then Larry’s ashes will be spread along with Paula’s in the waters off San Diego. Larry lived a full and rewarding life. He lived and he loved. He is loved and he will be missed.
Goodbye for now…
In lieu of flowers, the family requests those who wish to express sympathy to consider making a donation to the National M.S. Society in Larry’s name.
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Erich and family, I am sorry for your loss. I am sure you will cherish memories and share stories that will bring laughter and tears. I pray that you all have peace during a difficult year, made even more so with the passing of your father.
I am so sorry for your loss, please accept my deepest condolences to your family and you.
Dear Erich, My condolences to you and your family, I’m so sorry to for your family’s loss… I hope and pray that you’re able to find comfort in this time of grieving. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you. Best Regards, Steve
I am so sorry for your loss. I really enjoyed connecting with Larry last Christmas and getting to know Him better. Prayers for peace and comfort for you all during this difficult time.
Much love,
Vallie
We are so sorry for your loss David. You are in Steve’s and my prayers everyday for you, Krissi, and the kids. We are so thankful that all of you got to be with him these last few months. Give us a call if there is anything we can do.
Dave, what a beautifully written tribute to your father. You have much to be proud of as he was a very talented man who I’m sure blessed many in his service to our country, his career and his volunteer work. I’m glad to have met him and I enjoyed the few conversations we had. He was a kind soul. Praying for you and Erich, that you find peace and comfort as you grieve your loss. Love you, Heather and family
To all the Lawrence family and friends – I am sorry for your loss and my prayers are with you. I enjoyed working with Larry at the State Department. He was a kind and funny man and has been missed since he left. I am bless to have had the chance to know him. Because I know Larry would appreciate it, I will just say that I hope he went out with his Prada shoes on! 🙂 God Bless you Larry.
I am very sorry for your loss. Larry was a kind and soft-spoken gentleman. I enjoyed working with him as my direct government side manager at the Department of State. Larry often had us over to his office to chat or discuss things that need immediate resolutions or attentions. Besides business meetings, I loved having a few pieces of peanut butter pretzels in his office. His door was open for us to go back to have more anytime.
Please accept my heart felt condolences.
David and Erich, I am so sorry for your loss. Larry and I became good fiends his last two years at the Department of State. He mentored me when I first arrived a the Department of State and was always checking to see if I wanted to come back to work the next day. He really looked out for his people and always had our back. You had an incredible dad and I will miss him. God Bless