Mrs. Joyce Dean Lawrence was born on September 19, 1948, in Panama City, Florida. She graduated from Rosenwald High School, class of 1966. She was a devoted wife, loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend whose life was centered around her family and the values she cherished. For many years, Joyce embraced her role as a homemaker and stay-at-home mother with pride and dedication. She created a warm and loving home where her family always felt cared for, supported and loved. Her greatest joy came from nurturing those around her and ensuring that her family had everything they needed. 

Joyce shared more than 50 wonderful years of marriage with the love of her life, Mr. Harold P. Lawrence Sr., affectionately known to her as “Dean.” Their enduring love and commitment served as an inspiration to all who knew them. An avid reader, Joyce could often be found surrounded by books throughout her home. Her love of reading was so well known that her family eventually encouraged her to downsize her collection by switching to a Kindle. She also enjoyed shopping on HSN and QVC and had a special fondness for the color yellow, which reflected her bright and cheerful spirit. Joyce will be remembered as a loving, kind, funny, sarcastic, friendly, intelligent, wise and generous woman. She possessed a remarkable ability to offer guidance and encouragement, often sharing words of wisdom with her children that became lifelong lessons. Among her favorite sayings were, “My money is a terrible thing to waste,” and “Save your money, you never know a hard time might be coming.” These simple but powerful lessons reflected her practical nature and her desire to see her family succeed. Her legacy of love, wisdom, laughter and unwavering devotion to her family will continue to live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved her. 

She was preceded in death by her mother, Johnnie Mae Scott; husband, Harold P. Lawrence, Sr.; grandmother, Letha Dixon; uncle, Samuel Gray; and aunts, Rosa Bell Dixon and Ethel Ellison. She leaves cherished memories to her sons, Harold P. Lawrence, Jr., Derrick Lawrence; grandchildren, Kevin Lawrence, Ashley Lawrence and Marcus Lawrence; great- granddaughter, Alissa Lawrence; siblings, Marzell Thigpen, Ceola Singleton, Johnny Scott, Samuel H. Scott, Arthur L. Scott and Dennis M. Scott; nieces, Felicia Thigpen and Sheliate Renee Simmons; nephews, Chuckie Thigpen, Clyde Scott, Charles Johnson and Maurice Johnson; along with a host of cousins and other loving relatives. Though she will be deeply missed, her family finds comfort in the many memories she created and the lasting impact she made on their lives.

"Her children arise and call her blessed." — Proverbs 31:28