John Ross Lawrence

John Ross Lawrence, age 97, formerly of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, died October 8, 2015, in Cornville, Arizona. John was born March 10, 1918 to James Andrew Lawrence and Ethel M. Cruickshank Lawrence, on Neebish Island, Michigan. John grew up on Neebish Island until he moved to Sault Ste. Marie to attend Sault High School where he graduated in 1936. After high school he worked as an electrician and then joined the Coast Guard. He married Dorothy Cook and they moved to California, after John took lighthouse training in Groton, Connecticut. In California, he was in charge of a lighthouse off of San Francisco, in the Farallon Islands. They raised their daughter there. In 1959, they moved back to Michigan where he was in charge of Iroquois Point Lighthouse near Brimley. He retired from the Coast Guard in 1962. John and Dorothy moved to Sault Ste. Marie where he worked for the Air Force at Kincheloe Air Force Base. Dorothy died in 1969. On September 26, 1970. John married Teressa Raffaele and they lived in Sault Ste. Marie. After Terresa died in 2009, he moved to Florida and lived with his son in law until 2014 when he moved to Arizona where he lived with his grandson. John was a member of the Masonic Lodge of Sault Ste. Marie for 50 years. He was a member of the Church of Christ in Sault Ste. Marie. John was an avid Red Wings hockey fan. He also liked to golf and garden. He and Teressa traveled to Florida and Hawaii on vacations. They loved to spend time with their family and spoil grandkids. John is survived by his grandson, Martin (Anita) Baumgartner of Arizona; great grand children, Angela, Skylar, and Marticia; son-in-law, Charles Moore of Lutz, Florida; sisters, Blanche Deuman, Georgina (Robert) Miller, and Pauline Sauro; and brother, Tom Lawrence. He is also survived by Teressa’s children, Mimi (Ken) Scott, Diane (Walter) Cras, and Roger (Donna) Koistenin, and their children. John was preceded in death by his first wife, Dorothy Cook Lawrence; his second wife, Teressa Raffaele Lawrence; and his daughter, Marcia Lawrence Moore. Visitation will be held Friday, October 16, 2015, from 11 A.M. to 2 P.M. and the funeral service will begin at 2 P.M. at R. Galer Funeral Home 24549 S. M-129 Pickford, Michigan. Burial will be at Oaklawn Chapel Gardens, in Bruce Township, Michigan, immediately following the funeral service.

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John Ross Lawrence

March 10, 1918 - October 8, 2015