Anne (Spernak) Lawrence

Lawrence, Anne S.

Binghamton: Anne Lawrence, 92, passed away unexpectedly but peacefully at home on the morning of December 9. She was predeceased by her beloved husband Merton, who died in 1991, a year after they celebrated 50 years of marriage. In the Golden Years of the Triple Cities after World War II, she and Mert built their own home, worked six days a week and started a family, but also danced to Glenn Miller and other Big Bands of the era at The Pavilion in Johnson City. Born in the most humble of surroundings in a peasant village in the Tatra Mountains of Eastern Czechoslovakia, Anna, as she was known as a child, came through Ellis Island at the age of five, with her parents Michael and Justine Spernyak. After attending Binghamton schools she went to work making penny candies at the Fair Play Caramels company followed by a number of years in food service for IBM at the company’s North Street Cafeteria and Homestead Country Club. For years she was manager for the East Junior High School Cafeteria, where her warm smile and willingness to slip cookies and extra desserts to those who seemed to need a boost made her many lifelong friends with teachers, staff, and former students. Anne is survived by her sister Marion Percik, her son James of Charlotte, Vermont, and son Gregg of Binghamton; her loving granddaughters Jessica, Kerry and Bayley; her sons-in-law Nicholas Freeman and Shawn Sullivan; her new great-granddaughter Zoe Aliya Sullivan and a second great-grandchild arriving in the spring; nieces Joyce Brown, Kathleen Thuma, Carol Percik, Nancy Percik; nephews David Brown and Geof Powers; best friends Eileen Forsyth and Esther Duris; and many cousins, close friends, former coworkers, and extended family. In her long, active life she was a member of the Binghamton Monarch Club ladies’ auxiliary, the Monarchees, the United Commercial Travelers, and was involved in doing community-oriented service with La Sertoma, the women’s auxiliary of the Sertoma Club. She served two terms as President, and in 1962 she was honored for her dedicated work as a two-term Governor of the Eastern District of La Sertoma. She and Mert were faithful members of the Fairview United Methodist Church as well as the tiny but proud Henderson United Church near Big Gull Lake in Arden, Ontario, Canada. Some of her best memories were of times spent with her family and friends cottaging and fishing in Canada over a span of more than 60 summers. Her many dear friends in two countries will long recall her generosity, her tireless work ethic, her dinners of crispy fresh-caught fish, her decadent Southern Fried Chicken, her famously rich potato salad, her self-picked wild mushroom sauteés, and her buttery “old country” Christmas cookies. Most of all, her warm spirit, sparkling eyes, and sweet, sweet smile will never be forgotten.

The family joins in a heartfelt expression of thanks to Gregg Lawrence for his selfless dedication to his mother’s care and happiness in her final years. Memorial Services will be held at the Fairview United Methodist Church and Henderson United Church at future dates. A private service will be held at Vestal Hills Memorial Park for family. Remembrances of Anne may be shared on a memorial website at http://memorialwebsites.legacy.com/annelawrence/homepage.aspx.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Anne’s memory to the Fairview United Methodist Church Memorial Fund, 254 Robinson Street, Binghamton, NY 13904; or Henderson United Church, Rev. Barbara Mahood, PO Box 85, Arden, ON K0H 1B0.