James Lawrence

James is survived by his wife, Frances Lawrence; his three children, Sarah (Ryan Maisel), Daniel (Chiharu Tobita), and Elizabeth (Robert O'Brien); two brothers, Paul and Michael Lawrence; and three grandchildren, Carter Maisel, Luke Maisel, and Lucy Lawrence.

James was preceded in death by his parents, John Thomas Lawrence and Mary Michael, and his oldest brother, J. Thomas Lawrence.

Jim grew up in the Brightwood area of NW Washington, DC, attending Nativity Church and School, St. John's College High School, Montgomery College, and graduating from American University with an AB in History and Government in 1966. He taught 6th grade at Harmans Elementary School in Hanover, Md., then at St. Francis Xavier School in Washington, DC. He worked on the Research Desk of Congressional Quarterly compiling statistics on Congressional voting, back in the days before computers. Then on Capitol Hill he became the Legislative Assistant to Congressman Lawrence DeNardis (R-Conn), followed by working for Congressman Jim Hanley, (D-NY) also as Legislative Assistant. Next, Jim worked as Legislative Assistant to the Select Committee on Narcotics Control and Abuse. Jim then went from Capitol Hill to the State Department, working at the South Asian Desk for several years. He finally worked at the Department of Agriculture Beltsville Facility, implementing recruit of Agricultural Researchers from around the world.

Jim met Frances Lee in his teaching days shortly after she moved to DC from the Boston area. They married in 1969, and lived on Capitol Hill until moving to Laurel in1976. They raised three children, Sarah, (m. Ryan Maisel, sons Carter and Luke, now of Grasonville, MD) Daniel, (m. Chiharu Tobita, daughter Lucy, now of Falls Church, VA) and Elizabeth (Rob O'Brien, now of Jacksonville, FL). Sarah, Dan and Liz all attended Liberty Grove Co-op Nursery, Bond Mill Elementary School, and either Laurel or Roosevelt High Schools. Sarah graduated from Kenyon College, Elizabeth from College of Wooster.

The family were members at St. Philips Episcopal Church where Jim served a term on the Vestry.

A talented athlete, Jim grew up playing football, baseball, and basketball in fields and gyms all around DC with his brothers and friends. A Senators fan from childhood, (he and his brothers could walk to Griffith stadium for double headers) he was delighted when the Orioles returned to Baltimore, sharing his enthusiasm particularly with daughter Liz. But he was over the moon when the Nats came to Washington, and the whole family became devotees. The Nats World Series Win in 2019 was pure heaven!

Jim was a model train enthusiast, a hobby he particularly enjoyed sharing with Daniel. He also enjoyed doing the Boy Scout pine car derby, launching model rockets, and bowling and tennis with his son.

Jim was fascinated by weather and could be depended upon for a reliable forecast. He loved astronomy and could point out the constellations and as a child he also collected stamps.

A lover of music, Jim enjoyed all kinds and had a great memory for tunes. He developed a great love for classical music, enjoying trips to the Kennedy Center and Strathmore, and particularly loving and collecting Chopin, Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, and Vaughn Williams recordings. He loved Christmas music. He loved to hear Sarah play her senior piano recital at Kenyon, and to hear Liz play violin with the Roosevelt orchestra.

While Fran did most of the cooking for the first 30 years of the marriage, Jim started watching cooking shows and started chipping in with the cooking, so in later years she often came home from work to a hot meal of his homemade eggplant parmagiana or other tasty dishes.

Jim adored his pets. Over the 53 years of his marriage we had countless cats, and 3 amazing dogs. Jims's last special bond was with his 12-year-old cat, Simone, who is looking hopefully for him in each special chair.

Jim fell in love with Maine and Sebec Lake when we first visited there in 1969. He liked the countryside and the lack of traffic, but most of all the scenery and sitting on the deck of the cottage looking at the lake. He also loved family beach vacations in Bethany Beach, DE building castles in the sand with the kids, heading for Phillips for a large family gathering. Although he had never had formal swimming lessons, he once dove into the riptide that was carrying me out to sea, and somehow managed to pull me out of it.

Most fun of all was Jim's humor. It was a trait shared by the kids, and it made for a lot of laughter. He and the children were good at imitating voices, and when they were small, I could swear that Kermit, Cookie Monster and Miss Piggy all lived here. The humor became more sophisticated as time went on...

Jim's greatest lifelong interest was in history and government. He acquired a large library of American History books in particular. He was a dedicated citizen of this democracy, never missed an election, and educated himself about the policies of candidates and their workability. He truly believed that our democracy is for ALL, in every sense of that word, and that we all share a duty to make it work. He also cherished that America has a free press, and was appalled at how untruths have been given wings in our times to the extent that the future of our democracy is in jeopardy.

Jim cherished and protected his family. He listened. He responded, he was sensitive to everyone's concerns, and he was sacrificial in the way he loved us.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hinesrinaldifuneralhome.com for the Lawrence family.