Dean Lawrence

Dean Lawrence (Everett Dean Lawrence), age 86,  was born June 2, 1934 in Whitley County, Indiana and passed on September 19, 2020 in Fairfax, Virginia.  This Hoosier passed from pneumonia after bravely living with Alzheimer’s for many years.  Dean was the youngest of four boys (Jesse Wilmore, Max J, and Carl Ray), born to Hilah Ann (Slater) and Lyman Victor Lawrence.  Dean enjoyed growing up in Indiana, playing sports, excelling in school, and specializing in hard work.  He worked on the family farm, with his paper routes, in a drugstore by age 11 and in the Columbia City Kroger’s at age 16.  He was favored to meet Carol Joan (pronounced Jo Ann) Rhodes in 1951, whom he married when they were 19, on June 7th in, 1953.  He and his young bride moved multiple times as he completed service in the army and pursued higher education (Tri-State College and Cornell).  Cross-country moves continued as Dean pursued increasingly responsible jobs with Ball Brothers, Cincinnati Litho & Ohio Press, Mead Paper Products, Kroger’s, Ralph’s Grocery Stores, Pepperidge Farms, Campbell Soups, Interstate Restaurant Supplies, and Rykoff-Sexton.  In essence, he was a whiz at product development, food production, marketing, distribution, business administration, and packaging including graphic design, glassworks, plastics, and cardboard.  Two of his notable accomplishments were to set up the first computerized meat-packing plant in the world and getting the chocolate into the Pepperidge Farm Milano cookie. In retirement Dean and Carol tried a new adventure in Tennessee enjoying home arts, reading (Louis L’Amour anyone?), and watching the turtles sun-bathe on the logs on Old Hickory Lake on their lakefront backyard.  After the passing of Carol on December 27, 2007, Dean moved to Ashburn, Virginia. He enjoyed playing the piano/organ throughout his life and playing background music at holiday parties at Ashby Ponds. He was briefly remarried to Junice Bender, who remains a family friend. Dean and Carol had a son, Paul Alan (md Martha Ellen Bobo) and daughter, Ina, both of whom appreciate his life-long example of honesty, hard work, and commitment to family.  He is preceded in death by one grandson, Jack Roscoe Winchester.  Dean has 5 granddaughters:  Stephanie Ann (Michael) Terry, Kristen Caroline (Chad) Anselmo, Emily Lorraine (Scott) Winchester), Annie (Heidi Bitsch) Matheus, and Lacey Matheus.  Dean and Carol have 11 living grandchildren:   Hunter W and Sabryn J Terry; Christopher D, Alexander S, Andrew R, and FitzCharles E Anselmo; Megan L and Ethan T Winchester; Ireland A and Indiana N Bitsch Matheus; and Andres Ramirez.  Romario G Merriam is a great-great grandson.  Dean’s legacy continues his example and influence through his family, friends, former co-workers and neighbors.   Dean will be laid to rest on October 31st, 2020; Family and friends will gather at 11:00 am at DeMoney-Grimes Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City, then follow out to Oak Grove Compton Cemetery, Columbia City, where a graveside prayer and interment will take place.  There will be a Zoom Celebration of Life Saturday, November 14th at 4pm Eastern time; to be included, please send your email to Ina Trapani, at itrapani@hartdistrict.org for Zoom link.  Dean’s children wish to express a thank you to all family and friends at this time for their love and support and appreciation of the special places they have in Dean’s life and theirs. Visit www.demoneygrimes.com to send Dean’s family online condolences.