Karen Sue Lawrence, age 79, passed away peacefully on January 31, 2020 in Ann Arbor, MI. Born November 21, 1940 in Ann Arbor, MI to the Honorable Rodney E. Hutchinson & Dorothy (Morhous) Hutchinson, Karen was a lifelong resident of the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, MI area. She graduated in 1958 from St. Thomas High School where she met her future husband, Bill Lawrence. Karen attended Eastern Michigan University and McCauley School of Nursing and enjoyed a career that began at St. Joseph Hospital and continued both at the University of Michigan Hospital and the Kellogg Eye Institute. Karen and Bill married in 1961 and spent many happy hours watching their children, and later their grandchildren, participate in various activities. Karen found great joy attending family reunions and other gatherings through the years. In her retirement, she also enjoyed programs at the Pittsfield Township Senior Center, especially traveling with friends on group trips.
Karen was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her husband William F. Lawrence and their children: Heidi Sisson, Andrew (Elizabeth) Lawrence, Jon (Christina) Lawrence, and Ryan Lawrence; her grandchildren: Justin (Eva) Sisson and Matthew (Kate) Sisson, Connor Lawrence, Delaney Lawrence, and Grace Lawrence, Cooper Lawrence and Mitchell Lawrence; her sister Lynn M. (Richard) Pattison; her sister-in-law Elizabeth (Betty) F. Lawrence; her nieces Lisa Robertiello (Damian), Anne-Marie Phillips (Lee Callahan), and nephew Benjamin Phillips. The family will receive friends to share loving memories of Karen on Thursday, February 20, 2020 from 3:30-7:30 p.m. at Muehlig Funeral Chapel, 403 S. 4th Ave., Ann Arbor, Michigan. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, February 21, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 2250 E Stadium Blvd., Ann Arbor, MI. Prior to Mass, the family will greet friends in the gathering room of the Church from 10:00-11:00 a.m. Internment of ashes to follow immediately after Mass at the St. Francis Memorial Garden adjacent to the church.
Memorial contributions can be made to The St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School Educational Trust Fund or the "Camp Al-Gon-Quian Scholarship Fund" c/o Ann Arbor YMCA, 400 W. Washington St. Ann Arbor, MI 48103 .
