She was born on March 8, 1922, in Dallas, Texas, and was the one of four children born to Charlie and Lillie Seay (née Lane).
Minnie accepted Christ at the age of 9 and was baptized at Mount Horeb Baptist Church by Reverend Paul Castle. She attended public school in the Dallas Independent School District and graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1939.
In 1940, she moved to Washington, D.C., with family. During World War II, she relocated to New York City to work for the federal government. There, she met and married Grady Lawrence. Together, they had one son, Gerald Ray Lawrence.
Minnie spent most of her life in New York State, where she was an active member of a church in the Bronx and sang in the Senior Choir. She returned to school and became a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), graduating in 1962. She worked in area hospitals until her retirement in 1982.
After retiring, she moved to Long Island, where she became a member of First Baptist Church of Central Islip and was baptized again at the age of 70 by Reverend George Kohl. In 1994, she moved to Virginia Beach and eventually settled in Norfolk. There, she became a faithful member of Spurgeon Memorial Baptist Church, where she was actively involved in Sunday School, the Women’s Ministry, Vacation Bible School, and a senior church group.
Minnie was preceded in death by her parents, Charlie and Lillie Seay (née Lane); her husband, Grady Lawrence; and her siblings, James Edward Seay, Dorothy “Dot” Johnson (née Seay), and Charlie Mae Sharp (née Seay) and her son, Gerald Lawrence (Tina).
She is survived by her daughter-in-love, Diana Manley (Raynard); her grandchildren, Naomi Irizarry (Raphel), Brian Lawrence, and Shannon Lawrence; and her great-grandchildren, Marcus Harper, Talib Baccous, Katrina Wanliss, and Paris Hester.
A Celebration of Life service will be held 11:00 am, Saturday, August 23, 2025 at Brentwood Baptist Church, 8026 Old Ocean View Road, Norfolk. Inurnment at Princess Anne Memorial Park, Virginia Beach.
