Mary Jane Lawrence

She was born in Taunton, Mass., September 4, 1932, the daughter of Joseph H. and Mildred B. (Weeks) Metcalf.

As a teenager, she worked in the former Homestead Woolen Mills in Swanzey. She later worked at the former Elliot Community Hospital and Keene Clinic, both on Main Street in Keene.

Mrs. Lawrence was a den leader for the boy scouts. She was also a member of the all-girls West Swanzey Drum and Bugle Corp and later, continued her participation with the Drum and Bugle Corp as a chaperone. Caring for and being with her family was her primary focus in her life.

Although residing in many states throughout her life, Mrs. Lawrence considered Swanzey her home. Following retirement, she moved to Beverly Hills, Florida for a few years before returning to Swanzey.

Survivors include her children; Ellen M. Patnode and her husband, Scott, and Phyllis A. Nash, all of Swanzey, Andrew P. Nash and his wife, Kathy of Puryear, Tennessee, her husband’s children; Linda Christo of Richmond, NH and James Lawrence of Winchester, NH, and many grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. She is also survived by a brother, James H. Metcalf and his wife, Barbara A., of Marlborough, NH, and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her first husband, Rodney “Red” Nash in 1969, a son, Tim Nash in 1994, her second husband, Arthur “Timer” Lawrence in 2008, two brothers; Joseph E. Metcalf and Robert Sherman, and a sister, Ruth A. Oski.

A funeral service will be held Thursday, June 28, 2012 at 10:30 AM in the Foley Funeral Home, 49 Court Street, Keene. Burial will follow in the Mountain View Cemetery, Route 32, Swanzey, NH. Family and friends are welcome. Family and friends are also invited to call on Wednesday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 PM in the Foley Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mrs. Lawrence’s memory to the Monadnock Humane Society, 101 West Swanzey Road, Swanzey, NH 03446, or to the DiLuzio Ambulance Service, PO Box 505, Keene, NH 03431.