Patricia "Pat" Lawrence passed away peacefully surrounded by her family at St. Mary's after a long illness with lung disease on Thursday morning of March 27th. She lived an interesting life, making her the spirited, spitfire, and sweetheart of a woman we all knew and loved. Born in Santiago, Chilé in 1943, Pat moved a little over a decade later to a boarding school in Monteverde, Costa Rica, where she lived with the Quakers. Pat came to the US on a student visa where she graduated from Strayer College in Washington D.C, where she met the love of her life, Jim. Sadly, she had to return to Chilé in 1965, but emigrated to Virginia in 1969 and met Jim again. They married on a snowy winter New Year's Eve in 1969/1970. Jim preceded her in death, but they are now reunited again. While raising their daughters, Pat and Jim enabled a good family bond by playing in golf tournaments and boating. Their boating hobby evolved into a commitment as members of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. As her service to the public expanded, she and Jim became docents at Wellsville Historical Museum in Wellsville, Ohio. After her husband's passing, Pat joined a widow group, HOW (Helping Other Widows), to cope spiritually and socially. Pat most enjoyed working at the Barboursville Visitor Center since moving to Barboursville in 2014. Nicknamed "Snow White" because she found solace in tending to the wildlife in her "back forty”, she loved taking videos and sharing them with others. She was preceded in death by her husband James Russell Lawrence. She is survived by three daughters Ingrid Burnette (Kevin) of Barboursville, WV, Dominique Lawrence of Newark, OH, and Jennifer Lawrence of Alameda, CA; six grandchildren Dustin Burnette (Maggie), Taylor Grubbs, Brennen Grubbs, Katherine Strohl, Jodi Dutey (Kim) and Brady Burnette; two great-grandchildren Eden and Ashton; several cousins and many grand fur babies. On April 5, 2025, visiting hours are from 1-4 pm, the service starts at 4 pm at Wallace Funeral Home in Barboursville, WV. Light snacks will be provided. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to the Three Rivers Avian Center at this link - https://www.tracwv.org They are a Wild Bird Conservation & Education Center in Hinton, WV. Payments via PayPal, at the payment screen, enter, i.e., "In Memory of Patricia Lawrence." Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.timeformemory.com/wallace.
