Kerry Elizabeth Lawrynovicz

Kerry Elizabeth Lawrynovicz was born to Stan and Amy Lawrynovicz in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on August 2, 1979. Kerry was an independent thinker and a free spirit right from the start. The family moved when she was two years old to be closer to her grandparents, Lyn and Liz Vondy in Hinsdale, Illinois. All her education before college was in the Hinsdale ISD. She loved everything in school except math and excelled at Creative Writing and English.

For college she decided to go to Reed College in Portland, Oregon because of its discussion based learning and its non-competitive nature. She loved Reed and the Portland area and made some lifelong friends there. When she graduated, she wanted to pursue a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing. Her sister, Lexie, was at Colorado State University and Kerry decided to apply there. She was accepted with a scholarship and a teaching job that paid all her tuition. When she had finished there and obtained her Master’s Degree, she decided to pursue a Doctorate. Kerry and Lexie decided to move to wherever gave her the most money. Kerry would have stayed in school forever if some college would have paid her. They moved to Lafayette, Louisiana where she was accepted at LSU. Kerry and Lexie were happy to be closer to their grandparents and spent many weekends with Grandbetty and Papaw who had retired to Sugar Land, Texas. Kerry was All But Dissertation for her Doctorate, but she and Lexie decided it was time to go home to Texas. By that time her parents had also settled in Greatwood.

Because of her experience, Kerry got a job at Kingwood High School teaching Juniors in Advanced Placement Language Analysis. She loved teaching teenagers to think for themselves. She taught many class periods as discussion based learning as she had learned at Reed. Kingwood had the highest percentage of students that passed advanced placement tests in the region. Students loved her class. Years later they would come to tell her how life changing her course was and how helpful it was for college. She called them Mr. and Miss as they would do in college and she was always sympathetic to their needs, especially the underdogs. She had a big heart for the misunderstood and lonely. She and her fellow teacher, R.J. Fuedo, sponsored the Gay-Straight Alliance while they were at Kingwood.

After 8 years of teaching, she was ready to move into a less all-consuming job. She got a job at Rice University, where her sister, Lexie was working in Public Affairs. She currently held the job of Registration and Student Records Specialist at the Jones School of Business at Rice University. She loved her job helping students find the right classes. She could eat lunch with Lexie and they commuted together.

She was a member of First United Methodist Church of Missouri City, sang alto in the choir, and played handbells at Sugar Land First Methodist. It was a joy and an honor to play with all her sisters, Mom and niece in the handbell choir last season.

But music was not her only passion. She had a horse, Pecos, who she had for 18 years. She stuck with him through thick and thin. She loved to ride with her sisters Lexie and Adrian and had ridden Pecos the Saturday before she went into the hospital.

Kerry loved taking road trips with her sister and best friend, Lexie. They would take off a week and go on a carefully planned trip that combined hiking in state and national parks, learning about history and hunting through antique stores mostly for Breyer model horses. Kerry had a hobby of making tiny tack for the smallest of models, while Lexie resculpts and repaints the horses. Kerry enjoyed going to model horse shows and won many ribbons. She also shared a love of fantasy and sci-fi media with her sister Adrian and they even wrote their own collaborative unique stories that continued for years with the same beloved characters. She was a fanatic Astros fan and liked to listen to games while she grocery shopped. Steve Sparks was her favorite announcer. She also loved listening to poetry read by a number of actors.

Anyone who ever knew Kerry would remember how compassionate she was for others, especially the outcast. She was definitely an introvert but she really cared for people and justice and freedom to think what you want and to be who you are. And you would remember her boots and waist length braid, her signature look.

Kerry is preceded in death by her father, Stan, and grandparents, Liz and Lyn Vondy. She is survived by her mother, Amy Lawrynovicz and her sisters, Lexie Lawrynovicz and Adrian Matzke. Kerry also delighted in her two nieces, Kaylee Matzke and Raylan Matzke. She had a very supportive uncle and aunt, Kurt and Lisa Andreason, and a dear family friend, John Garland. Her colleague and dear friend, Zhanar Imanbaeva, gave her a strong sense of support at work.

The family would like to give special thanks to the choir and Paster Jerome of FUMCMC, to the Harmony Sunday School Class taught by Richard Burnham, and also to the Resounding Joy Bell Choir of Sugar Land Methodist Church.

Clergy: Pastor Jerome Brimmage, Richard Burnham

Donations in Lieu of Flowers. PLEASE DO NOT SEND FLOWERS. Kerry was not a lover of flowers and was allergic to most of them.

Suggestions:

Rice University in her honor (https://giving.rice.edu/).

The Music Ministry at FUMCMC (https://www.fumcmc.org/give/) or you can send a check to FUMCMC 3900 Lexington Blvd., Missouri City, TX 77459.

The National Park Foundation (give.nationalparks.org) or any state park of your choice.