Lawrence John Buford, Jr. passed away in Austin, Texas on December 16, 2013 at the age of 90. He was born in Morgan City, Louisiana on August 3, 1923 to Lawrence John Buford and Mary Jane Coleman Buford.
After growing up in Morgan City, Lawrence served in the South Pacific with the United States Marine Corps during World War II. He then attended Louisiana State University, earning Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education. His first assignment took him to Biloxi, Mississippi, where he taught science and mathematics. He eventually became principal at Biloxi High School.
While in Biloxi, Lawrence met and married Yvonne Duvic in 1950. They became the parents of three sons - John, Bob and Paul. In 1961, the family moved to Austin, where daughter Laura was born.
In Austin, Lawrence taught science at Lamar Junior High School before being promoted to Science Coordinator for the Austin Independent School District. He eventually became Assistant Superintendent of AISD and retired in 1983.
During retirement, Lawrence enjoyed birding with the Texas Ornithological Society, teaching Sunday school at Crestview United Methodist Church and serving on the scholarship committee of the Austin Retired Teachers Association. He also enjoyed spectator sports, especially cheering on his LSU Tigers.
Lawrence was predeceased by his wife of 55 years, Yvonne Duvic Buford, in 2005. He was also predeceased by his siblings - Gerald Buford, Tom Buford and Lil Pelegrin.
Lawrence is survived by his children - John Buford (and wife Cindy), Bob Buford (and Amy Carey), Paul Buford (and wife Martha) and Laura Buford. He is also survived by his grandchildren - Kelly Sapstead (and husband Brent) and Kevin Buford (and wife Misty), and by his great-grandchildren - Noah Buford, Bailey Buford and Ellis Sapstead.
The family would like to express special thanks to our cousin, Joel Duhon, for his caregiving and companionship to Dad during the past three years.
Visitation will be on Friday, December 20, 2013 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Cook-Walden Funeral Home at 6100 North Lamar Boulevard in Austin. The funeral service will be on Saturday, December 21 at 10:00 am at Cook-Walden, followed by a private burial at Assumption Cemetery.
Memorials may be sent to Crestview United Methodist Church, 1300 Morrow Street, Austin, TX 78757. the ARTA Scholarship Fund, c/o Linda Harvey, 5602 Westminster Drive, Austin, TX 78723. the LSU Foundation 3838 West Lakeshore Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808. Hospice Austin, 4107 Spicewood Springs Road, Suite 100, Austin, TX 78759 or your favorite charity.
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