John Thomas Lawrence

August 15th, 1952 - March 30th, 2020

Memorial

Mementos

To all JT's Family and Friends, I would like to take the this time to thank you for all the cards, emails, texts, phone calls and carrier pigeons that you have used to communicate since he had the tragic accident at the VA Hospital on Christmas Day 2017. He went to the emergency room for his a pain in his left foot. He called me to stay he would still make it in time for our Christmas supper. Unfortunately, they gave him some medicine which caused him to be without oxygen for 3 minutes, thus resulting in this person of great physical condition to be a prisoner in his body. After two birthdays in the St Joseph's Transition Home, we were advised to place him in Hospice care. We did so last Friday with the thought he would be around for six months. We received a call yesterday 30 Mar 20 in the morning that my brother passed away. I am a very strong person, but this news caused me to silently cry with tears in my eyes. My wife of 36 years reminded me that it was the best way for him to go to Heaven, and God needed help handing out presents to the children. Some of you know he liked to collect teddy bears, dolls, bikes, and other items to take to orphan children every Christmas. You all know, he could be the life of the party, and at the same time he valued his privacy. What you don't know is that he started his life on Aug 1952 in Concord, Ca. He was the third oldest of four brothers (I am the oldest). Throughout his life, he excelled in so many things. When he was 10 years old, he became Indiana's fasted swimmer. The Peru YMCA put a picture of him over the pool to honor him. For many years his record could not be broken. In high school, he was an amazing basketball player who could have gone on to great heights in that sport had he not be so stubborn (one of the traits that exist in the Lawrence Family). I am sure many of you have stories about this legend called Wild Man. Smile. JT, as he liked to be called, became my best friend when he visited us 35 years ago in San Francisco. We picked him up at the airport with his suit jacket and scandals. My wife, Kim, quickly provided new shoes for him to wear. JT was my best man in our wedding on Lovers' Point in Pacific Grove, California. He called the Golden Gate Bridge his own and would visit it every day. He wanted to be buried there, and we will honor his wish. We just got a great idea from one of his best friends to rent a boat and scatter his remains under the bridge. We will make that happen after we spend time with him (his cremation remains will be with us in Las Vegas for a while). JT is not gone, just on one of his many trips that he forgets to tell people and surprises them by showing up to their door or dropping in on a class reunion. He said sorry he will not be able to make the 50th reunion because God has other plans for him. So no need to shed a tear ( I did that for you) or send flowers, just pray for him in your own way, and know we were lucky to have someone like him in our lives. Love, Brady and Kim Lawrence

Tributes

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John Lynch

It is with heavy hearts that Linda and I learned of John's passing from his older brother Brady. After a bizarre accident occurring in the emergency room of his Veterans Administration hospital, John succumbed after putting up a fierce fight for well over two years. Using one of his favorite words, John's fight was "tenacious" to the end, as we would expect. Along with Brady and his wife Kim, John's family included his BRHS classmates. John nurtured meaningful relationships with his friends, and classmates. We all first met John in our freshman year at BRHS after he moved from Indiana. John had unmatched charisma and could light up a room of people he did not know. His unique personality and high school antics earned him the nickname "Wildman." Seems to me I recall John could not ever hold a beer and reacted like a "wild man". He was an outstanding member of our varsity basketball team and possessed good moves on the court and perfected a three-point shot. For whatever reason John chose to quit the team our senior year which he subsequently regretted. It haunted him later in life. Many years later during one of John's nostalgic visits back to Bordentown he stopped by BRHS and spoke with the Principal about this incident. The Principal recalled this incident as a BRHS student at the time. John apologized to the Principal and reached closure on the event. John shared this story with me, and I know he felt redeemed. John had a patriotic sense of duty and enlisted in the Navy during a time when this was not very popular. John heard the call to duty and responded without hesitation. After a short assignment, John was released from active duty. He became one of our veterans and commenced his studies at James Madison University. It is with sincere gratitude that Linda and I had the pleasure of knowing John throughout most of his life. He would visit the east coast twice per year. In the spring he loved looking at the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C. and in the fall, he enjoyed the turning leaves. John would stay with us for several days at a time maintaining his late-night Las Vegas lifestyle and slept most of the day. Linda and I would both go to work and come home to find John having breakfast ready to start his day - still wearing his robe and sandals. John took a liking to our youngest daughter, Kelly, who he adopted as his own. He always had a gift for Kelly when he visited. So, John is now in heaven and back in the basketball game. Reflecting upon his life, I see him shooting the game winning 3-point buzzer beater and the BRHS student body cheers. We were hopeful that John was going to pull out of his sickness and regret not being able to visit prior to his passing. We mourn his loss greatly, and honor and recognize our life-long friendship. We hold John, his brother Brady and Kim in our thoughts. So, from one shipmate to another we wish John fair winds and following seas. May God bless our good friend JT. John and Linda Lynch

Published April 4th, 2020

James Pierce

1969-1970 Bordentown Regional High School Varsity Basketball Team

Published April 3rd, 2020

James Pierce

Transferred FaceBook comments as of 4/3/2020 God bless John Lawrence (a.k.a "Wildman" of the BRHS Class of 1970) Just got the sad news of the passing of our good friend John from his brother in Las Vegas this afternoon. As most of you may have known, John had been quite ill for awhile at a care facility in NV. There are no plans for a funeral. John always wanted to keep it simple, but I will be shortly putting an appropriate memorial guest book together in the coming days (probably through FB, unless someone else recommends another open media platform) for everyone to leave their condolences & memories of John. We've all lost a good friend and school acquaintance that was memorably unique. Bless his soul at rest now. Claude Booker RIP! John was a frequent player, @ the Clara Barton Schoolyard B'ball Courts.. Very nice person.. Sad News and my Condolences to to the Lawrence Family. Dennis J Pratt Condolences to the family-remember the good time I had with Wildman in the BB courts. RIP Brother 🙏🏽 Joe Gore Beautifully said. You 2 were like peas in a pod. He was a lot of fun and a great basketball player. Patti Presley So very sorry to hear. Great young man as I recall. God Bless. Cheryl Labbe One of my favorite classmates! 😢 Loretta Mercantini So sad Andy Schmidt Such a shame may he RIP...😣💐 Tom Maugeri Sorry to hear that about John Janet Lewallen Eppolite So sorry to hear this! Dorene Szeker So sorry, he was so nice to everyone. Rest In Peace John... Bill Rovinsky Prayers are with his family rest in peace John Debra Hackett Lovell Tommy and I send our condolences. Hopefully he did not suffer. See ya on the otherside Wildman. I was recently reminded that we are only a breath away. John A Coleman SO SAD ONE OF MY FAVORITE TEAMMATES A.K.A "WILDMAN" 🏀 R.I.H. JOHN LAWRENCE David M Greenfield R.I.P John Lawrence! Very Nice Guy and one heck of a Ball Player! Condolences and Prayers to the Family! 💔✝️ Marcos Silva Lamentável perda. Deus abençoe os amigos e familiares. Janet Phillips Mathews Sorry for the loss of your friend, Jim! Kevin Foster Well said Jim, John was unique, a great teammate and one of the toughest competitors I ever met. RIP Wildman. Lynn Skinner Thank you for letting us know. Sorry to hear he had been ill for awhile and then his death! He was so much fun in high school!!🙏 Martha Wirth Rip John. You were so unique and made such an impact on BRHS class of 70! Nancy Cammus Rest in Peace. Lynda S Kamer Brady Lawrence So sorry for your loss. I loved your brother. We spent a lot of time together. My family loved him. Jim Pierce Absolutely my pleasure & honor to pool all of his friends condolences together. We're planning (it's a moving target) our 50th ‘70 BRHS reunion. John so loved to go and get together with his classmates. It won't be the same without him. Many came to see him and his infectious spirit. He always downplayed his personality. Not many realize what a giving person he was to society. Linda Lynch Brady, I am having a hard time responding to this news. John was a dear friend and always came to visit us when he was on the east coast. Knowing how he lived for over a year, I hope he is now in peace. He will never be forgotten. Your family is in our prayers. Rick Ellis Such a sad way for John to have had to live out his life. We all pray for peace for him. Susan Andreacci I'm so sorry to hear. May he rest in peace. Prayers for his family and friends. Maxine Brimmer John was a shinning star on the court and now in heaven. Everyone must have faith & truly believe. This man's strength, talents, charm and tenacity has been restored in the light of god. May the peace of Christ be with you our friend.

Published April 3rd, 2020

James Pierce

There is a photo in the gallery of John & I at our first school in the USN. It's probably the only one of him in a military uniform that you'll ever see. We enlisted in April before HS graduation (he requested that I join with him) in the Navy's Buddy ("drag a friend along with you and see the world") program that guaranteed us our preference of schools & place of boot-camp, if we volunteered for the U.S. Submarine Service. All went well until that first day we showed up in CA. You see, I took to the Navy ways like a fish in water. While with John, it was kind of like trying to give a cat a bath. I went on to serve the longest 6 years of my life, got a great education that I used continuously throughout my life's career, and don't regret a minute of it. John, on the other hand tolerated it for a while, then got an honorable discharge for medical reasons, went to college moved to Las Vegas and found his true calling. I envied John for his choices & opportunities in life that were constantly changing. As we met up several times at reunions over the years, he never hesitated to say how proud he was of me and my commitment to serve in the USN Submarine Service and complete all of the schooling and goals in a designated path that had be set forward for us upon enlistment. He was a driving force in my life.

Published April 1st, 2020

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