Roy Lawrence

Roy William Lawrence of Marlborough died peacefully at home at the age of 78 on November 11, 2024 after a long illness.

Son of the late James and Mary Lawrence, Roy was born on July 7, 1946 in Lakeland, Florida. He played football at the University of Connecticut and graduated with a Bachelors, a Masters and a Sixth Year in Education from UCONN. There he met Sally Benjamin and they were married on July 29th, 1967.

Roy was a teacher for many years at both Mansfield Middle School and Horace Porter School in Columbia. There he coached multiple sports, and in the community he coached baseball and soccer. In Mansfield, Roy was instrumental in starting the Outward Bound program.

Not only an athlete and community coach, Roy was also an enthusiastic fan of the sports in which his sons and grandchildren played, as well as their artistic and creative endeavors.

Apart from teaching and coaching, Roy was an active member of and leader in Columbia Baptist Fellowship for about 50 years. He served the church in nearly every capacity, including serving as a full-time youth pastor for six years.

One of the things Roy enjoyed most was distributing copies of the New Testament through Gideon's International. He also participated in many Christian service trips, both in the US and internationally, including building projects and disaster relief.

Roy is survived by his wife of 57 years, sons William (Heather) of Canton, Ohio and Daniel (Mary Beth) of Marlborough; grandchildren Stephen, Joshua, Ian, Katherine, Benjamin, Elijah, and Lily; great grandchildren Jacob, Isaiah, Rory, Ella, Braxton, Riley and Elliott and his sister, Sharon Lawrence. He was predeceased by his sister, Deborah.

A memorial service will be held at Columbia Baptist Fellowship Church, 195 Route 6, Columbia, CT on November 23, 2024.at 10AM.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that a memorial donation be made to Columbia Baptist Fellowship or Gideon's International.

The family would like to express our sincere gratitude to both the Masonicare Hospice staff and to Roy's caregiver, Richard Narh, for the amazing care that they gave him and for the support they gave to our family.