He was born on October 9, 1951 in Chicago Illinois to the late Florence and John Karas. He grew up in Chicago in a close extended family.
He earned a BS in Chemistry from Illinois Institute of Technology in 1975 and a PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from Northwestern University in 1979. After graduating he moved to Pennsylvania for a job at Atlantic Richfield. He met his wife while in Pennsylvania. They started their family in West Chester, PA where their children grew up until their move to Texas in 2007.
He worked as a chemist in the oil, gas and chemical industries for 40 years in Pennsylvania and Texas and received over 40 patents during his career. He enjoyed teaching chemistry and taught organic chemistry at Sam Houston State University briefly.
He is survived by his wife of 39 years Sue Strause Karas of Houston Texas, his daughters Stephanie Karas Bergmann of Houston Texas and Lauren Karas Sugar of Dallas Texas, his granddaughters Margret Bergmann and Julia Bergmann of Houston Texas, and his sisters Barbara Johns of Chattanooga TN and Cheri Byrd of Charlotte NC.
He had a love of sports. He grew up playing a lot of recreational basketball and continued playing as an adult. He also enjoyed playing golf. He coached his daughter’s soccer team and refereed youth basketball and soccer games.
He enjoyed living on the Gulf Coast and most enjoyed spending time with family. He had many hobbies including scuba diving, underwater and nature photography, astronomy, playing chess, bike riding, gardening, high fidelity audio equipment and collecting and listening to classical, jazz, and classic rock recordings.
In lieu of flowers in memory of Lawrence Karas, contributions may be made to MD Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210-4486 or MDAnderson.org/Gifts.
A visitation for Lawrence will be held Saturday, December 21, 2024 from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM at Forest Park Westheimer Funeral Home, 12800 Westheimer Road, Houston, TX. A funeral service will occur Saturday, December 21, 2024 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, 12800 Westheimer Road, Houston, TX. A committal service will occur Saturday, December 21, 2024 from 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM at Forest Park Westheimer Cemetery, 12800 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX.
