Ms. Annie Louise Lawrence

Louise A Lawrence has been on the adventure of her life but she was called home suddenly on December 21, 2016, at age 87 in Cleveland, Ohio. Our mom was born in Sheffield, Alabama on April 16, 1929. She was one of eight children born to Ruby Lee Woods and Abe Garner. Our mom had a transportation service for senior citizens and friends in need long before “Uber” before it even existed, caring for her friends taking them to her podiatrist so they would have healthy feet; cooking meals so no one ever went hungry; transporting those without cars; paying bills; or just taking them grocery shopping. For 40 years, she served as a foster parent, doing so until she was 75 years old. During that time, she cared for hundreds of infants and pre-school toddlers in Cuyahoga County. Mom made her way from Alabama to Cleveland as a young woman in the late 1940s searching for new opportunities. Upon her arrival to Cleveland, she held a variety of jobs, including a seamstress at Bellefaire Institution in Beachwood, Ohio; she worked at Gardelle Pharmacy; cashier at Chucky’s Market and she owned, operated and cooked at a Rib Shack on 131st and Soika in Cleveland. Mom truly believed in “old school” remedies. Her recipe for staying healthy was Geritol with vitamin D and her Boost (chocolate flavor). For more than 50 years, she worked from home selling Watkins products with a specialty in Watkins salve and Watkins lemon and pure vanilla extract. Our mom also volunteered and worked at the voting polls for 10 years. She was active within Ward I with Councilman, John Barnes, Sr. Balancing her new life up North and hard work, she settled in the Lee-Harvard area in the early 1960s. With her quiet strength and God-centered faith and optimism, her home has always been the center of her children's lives as the gathering place for holidays and special occasions. For more than 50 years, Louise attended St Henry's Catholic Church (St Henry’s merged with “Holy Spirit") where she for many years worked at Bingo and ensured her children were involved in church. She has many life-long friends through church and was a faithful attendee. She leaves to mourn 7 children, Theresa Talbott (Richard), Michael Lawrence (Kimberly) of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Wayne Lawrence, James Lawrence of California, Frank Lawrence, Bryant Lawrence, Ashley Lawrence; her grandchildren, Takila Talbott, Nathan, Kaitlyn, Alec, Sophia, Gabrielle, Alayla, Aaniyah, Maya and Jamie Lawrence; and great-grandson Amiir Talbott; and her two sisters, Airleen Hutchins (Chattanooga, Tennessee) and Dorothy McDaniel (Nashville, Tennessee); and a host of nieces and nephews and other relatives. She was preceded in death by her parents Ruby Lee Woods and Abe Garner; her daughter, Patricia Heard; and brothers and sisters, Big John Garner, Ruby Mae Saffold, Abe Garner, Jr, Fred Lee Garner and Frank Garner.

Ms. Annie Louise Lawrence

April 16, 1929 - December 21, 2016