Obituary
Thomas Lee Lawrence (Tom) passed away on the morning of January 31, 2024 at Ozark
Nursing and Care Facility in Ozark, Missouri. He was 87 years old.
Tom was born in Newton, Iowa on June 15, 1936 to Verle and Ora Lawrence. Later, his parents,
brother, and sister moved to Canton, Illinois where he worked at the family restaurant, attended
Canton High School, and made many lifelong friends with whom he stayed in touch for decades.
He attended college in Illinois where he met his first wife, Rosie. The family moved to California
and raised two daughters.
After Rosie’s death in 1981, Tom married his second wife, Susan and gained a step-son, Brian.
They lived and worked on the west side of Los Angeles near Venice Beach for many years.
They later decided to retire to a beautiful home in rural Strafford, Missouri where they raised
show dogs, and Tom could often be seen strolling around with his beloved cats riding on his
shoulders.
Tom spent many years serving in the U.S. Army reserve, but most of his career was spent
working in the aerospace industry in California. As an industrial engineer at Rockwell
International and Boeing Corporation, Tom led teams of engineers in several large government projects, including the building of military aircraft and the space shuttle.
Tom wasn’t all about work though. He also ran several marathons and loved to play tennis, ping
pong, billiards, and darts. He was a huge fan of baseball, basketball, and, especially, football.
Tom loved puns and was well known for his “Dad Joke” sense of humor.
Tom is survived by his daughter and her husband, Linda and Chris Seddon; his step-son and
his wife, Brian and Betty Fitzwilliam; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren: and his
sister, Donna Howey.
He was preceded in death by his wives, Rosalind Lawrence and Susan Lawrence; his daughter,
Sherri Adams; his parents Verle and Ora Lawrence; and his brother, Larry Lawrence.
A graveside service will be held at Rivermonte Memorial Gardens located at 4500 S.. Lone Pine
Ave., Springfield, Missouri, 65804 on Wednesday, February 7 at 12:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation
https://www.michaeljfox.org or the Parkinson’s Foundation https://www.parkinson.org
Finally, the family would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude toward the Ozark Nursing and Care
and Access Hospice staff and volunteers for their attentive and loving care of our sweet Tom during his last years of life.