Richard Harry Lawrance

headstone.shows a dove flying on onevside and a horses head on other side.

                                a Bow holds the name LAWRANCE

                  double headstone blank on right. Richard H

                                                                               Feb 15 1941

                                                                              June 8 2001

                                                         Gone but not forgotten .

My story about my brother Ricky Lawance. I am who I am today, because he was my oldest brother and made the biggest impact on my life. When we were growing up with Ricky as the oldest, we were aware how hard to worked because he was the oldest of six. Our parents brought all of us to relieve to get ahead in life on must work hard. One of my fondest memories of him was when we worked on the School quarter doing the bindering. he stooked along with Alex while Lyle rode the tractor; dad the binder; Mom and Clara also took turns stooking and taking tea and snacks to the workers while ; Garth and I rode Old Polly around and around the field. The black bear were hanging around and they seemed to follow him along. And when we rode up to him he would tease us. I recall when I finally got a chance to skate with the older kids on the pond in front of the horse.Ricky laughed at me because I did not know how to skate.

       He was such a great skater and loved to play at hockey. Ricky was an avid sports fan. He like the world series in baseball on the radio and we would listen.  He played ball at Five Mile and tried bowling. And he took part in all school sports. While he was in High school is wood-working talents stood out as he created a beautiful dress and some shelves for Mom and dad. he was Dad's mechanic when it came to fixing broken down machinery most of those years. In 1958, Ricky was the first of our family to be in 4-H along with Alex in the dairy Club. He was in it a couple years before he left home.  And when we got the TV , it was him who got most excited watching hockey night in Canada. He picked the Detroit Red Wings and Gordie Howe. Later we would laugh when his son at Rick's services reminded us of  Ricky saying " I could have been another Gordie Howe, but I had to work. Oh, how Ricky loved the moments we shared in front of the gramaphone , listening to records our Mom bought the family to share. He wa s taken by the yodelling of Wilf Carter and would be heard singing and yodelling outside. And his son reminded us of this when he said "I could have been another Wilf Carter..but I had to work. He was taught to dance along with the rest of us by Mom. Then we had the Dizzy Dancers at Five Mile school.    Ricky was quite a nut on Halloween dressing up in Mom's clothes and trying to dance the butterfly in her shoes. He fell down and was laughing so hard it was hard for him to try to get up again. 

    Ricky left home and it was a long time before we saw him again. And when he returned he had a beautiful red-headed girlfriend with him. Muriel would become his wife later.  Muriel and Ricky square danced and took part in many dances through their years together. She taught him to dance a lot better and they make a beautiful looking couple doing the old time waltz. Ricky worked for Tissington Motors then,  then for Fred Drysdale on his dairy later for Pat Garret as a truck driver.  He applied for a homestead along with Alex in the Goodwin area and they proved it up. They lived there  until about 1977 when they moved to Sexsmith and started the Sexsmith Distributors Company. This trucking company which began with one truck expanded to a fleet to meet the growing needs of milk product and bread product delivery in the Grande Prairie Area.  His family and he worked well together for many years to increase their success. Many times Ricky was so busy he did not have time to come home to do things I am sure he would have liked to,yet he was driven within to 'have to work'. We adjusted as we had before to not having family home for Christmas and other events. He was there to take dad to Edmonton when dad had to get radiation treatment. Dad commented how good of caregiver Ricky was; taking care of him during that time.  All his and his family's hard work was beginning to pay off and he and Muriel took time to go to events like the Edmonton Rodeo Finals and the Calgary Stampede.

In 2000, Ricky began his lonely courageous walk through the valley of death., when he was diagniosed with lung and liver cancer.  He tried to continue to work as much as he could ; doing whatever tasks he could, from oiling and repairing vehicles etc. And the son said it best about Ricky at his memorial when he pointed out that the Sunday before his death was the first Sunday Ricky was not there to swep the floor so it was left undone.  Ricky left a message of love for his family behind; requesting that Cyril Isaac read a particular poem that sometime in his life grew to mean a lot to him ...... It was "I Am Your Heavenly Father. Are You A Child Of Mine?

And this poem meant so much to me before then to; and was the messgae I wanted to hear.

Obituary of Richard Lawrance 60 of Sexsmith. Richard Harry Lawrance, resident of Sexsmith Alberta passed away at the QEII Hospital Grande Prairie on June 8, 2001 at the age of 60 years. Rick leaves to mourn his passing his wife Muriel of 39 years, his five children Danny, Linda, Doug, Kathy and Angie his brothers Alex[Shirley[ ;Garth {Julie] his sisters Clara ; Darlene [Larry] numerous other relatives and friends. He was predeceased by his father Cecil, mother Mildred, brother Lyle and his grandsons Dalton and Carter. Rick was born in Grande Prairie on February 15, 1941. He married Muriel Head on October 20, 1961. Rick started Sexsmith Trucking 22 years ago. He loved his horses, rodeo, square dancing and his family. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday June 13, 2001 at Oliver's Grande Prairie Funeral Chapel at 11 A.M/ with Pastor Ken Buller officating. Memorial donation may be made to the Alberta Heart and Stroke Foundation or the Canadian Cancer Society.