Sally Lawrence

A funeral service for Sally Lawrence, age 88, of Lake Park, will be held Friday, March 11, 2016 at 11:00 AM at First Presbyterian Church in Lake Park. Burial will be at Silver Lake Cemetery. Visitation will be on Thursday, March 10th from 4:00-7:00pm at First Presbyterian Church in Lake Park. Marcella Jeanne (Lenz) Lawrence, better known to her family and many friends as Sally, was born January 27, 1928, to Herbert and Marjorie (Elliott) Lenz in Lake Park, IA. She graduated from Lake Park High School in 1945 and married the love of her life, C.E. "Skeeter" Lawrence, on February 17, 1946. Though she swore she'd never live on a farm, Sally did exactly that when she married Skeeter. And she became a true partner in the operation of the farm - driving tractors, feeding chickens and gathering eggs, as well as making the house a home, cooking meals and raising their two daughters, Marla and Marcia. Sally was Martha Stewart before Martha Stewart was Martha Stewart. She was an excellent cook and a talented seamstress. She made many of the family's clothes, allowing them to have tailor-made, one-of-a-kind clothing, something they didn't appreciate until much later. Sally - and Skeeter - also opened their home and their hearts to five foreign exchange students. Four were college students who spent occasional weekends with the family and one was a high school student who lived with them for a year. But they remained close with several of them for years. The experience brought the world into their home and took Skeeter and Sally out into the world - they attended one student's wedding in Panama and traveled to The Netherlands to visit another student and her family. As if that wasn't enough, Sally also found time to be involved in her community and church. She was a 4-H leader and a member of the Eastern Star - becoming a grand officer in 1972. Sally and Skeeter were staunch supporters of Cherish Center and spent several years working as volunteers at Thee Garage Sale in Milford. But it was in church that Sally found her greatest opportunities for service. She sang in the choir, taught Sunday School, served as a deacon and an elder and was a 60 year faithful member and president of the Lake Park Women's Club. She was active in PW for years and once served as a district officer. And, she was the first female member of Presbytery's pastoral nominating committee. When all is said and done, Sally will always be remembered for her love of people and, besides her faith in God, her greatest treasures in this life were her home and her family. Sally passed away peacefully on Friday, March 4, 2016. She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Eldon "Skeeter" Lawrence, her parents, her brother Leroy Lenz, sister-in-law Marilyn Lenz and her son-in-law, Mike Taylor. Sally is survived by her daughters, Marla Taylor of Broken Arrow, OK, and Marcia (Nathan) Lawrence of Fairbanks, AK; grandchildren Samuel Slagle of Sioux City, IA; Stephen (Charissa) Taylor of Broken Arrow, OK; Camilla (Brian) Ringler of Anchorage, AK; and Jill (Judah) Anthony of Woodside, NY; great-granddaughters Alexis and Avery; great-grandson James; sister, Marjianne (Ted) Lowery; several nieces, nephews and cousins and all the members of the Curt and Kim Ingwersen family, as well as a host of wonderful friends. Memorials may be left for Cherish Center or First Presbyterian Church in Lake Park.