John A. "Jack" Lawrence

John A. (Jack) Lawrence, 97, passed away on Thursday May 22, 2025, at the Maplewood Rehabilitation Center in Canton, New York with his family by his side. This was the same day that marked the eighth anniversary of his wife Rita's passing.

Jack was born on February 20, 1928, in Ogdensburg, New York, the son of Mary (Finnegan) Lawrence and Gerald Lawrence. His mother passed away three days after his birth and his father felt it was in his best interest to live with his maternal grandparents, Albert and Nell Finnegan. The youngest of eight children, he grew up on the Finnegan farm in Madrid, New York. While in high school, he was a star athlete and graduated in 1945. Baseball was his passion and two years later, he went to Panama to play in the Panama Canal League for the Colon Lucky Strikes.

After returning from Panama, he attended SUNY Potsdam. In his Junior year at SUNY Potsdam, Uncle Sam called him to serve in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict. At the completion of his training at Fort Benning, he was assigned to the 8th Infantry Division Medical Corp and stationed at the 97th General Hospital in Germany. When not on duty, he played 4th Division baseball, basketball, and volleyball. After receiving an honorable discharge in September 1952, he transferred to the Army Reserve where he served until October 1956. As a veteran, he was very supportive of those in military service and enjoyed talking about his experiences while serving his country.

Jack married Rita St. Dennis on August 6, 1955, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Canton, with the Rev. Albert Salmon officiating. They built their home in Canton and raised five children who made them so very proud.

Over the years, Jack was very active in St. Mary's Church serving on the parish council as well as donating his time to consult on repair and upkeep of parish buildings. He remains the oldest member of St. Mary's Knights of Columbus.

An avid golfer, he played twice a week until age 95. He was a member of the St. Lawrence Golf Club in Canton for over 67 years.

Jack worked in construction for almost 75 years for companies including Fletcher McCarthy, Algonquin Construction, B&S Industrial Contractors, Visconti Construction, Murnane Contractors and his own company, Lawrence Consulting. He was involved in estimating and/or supervising over 350 buildings/projects throughout Northern New York, Central New York, and the Northeast.  Jack's construction resume includes 40 buildings at area colleges including SUNY Potsdam, SUNY Canton, St. Lawrence University, Clarkson University and Mater Dei College.  He was also involved in two senior citizen high rise complexes in Canton, projects at Alcoa, Reynolds and General Motors in Massena as well as eighteen water, sewage and hydro projects, and state prisons. His proudest achievement was construction project manager on the 1980 Olympic Center in Lake Placid, New York where the "Miracle on Ice" took place. He served as an officer and member of the Northern NY Builders Exchange and NYS General Building Contractors.

One of the greatest honors for his military service was being flown with other Veterans on the Syracuse Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.  He was the longest living member of the Canton VFW Post 1231 and he was also a 50-year plus member of American Legion Post 1513 in Madrid, Amvets Post 282 and Elks Lodge 2074 in Potsdam. Jack received many citations for all he had done for the community including "Irishman of the Year" and volunteer service for numerous charity golf tournaments.

A well-known face in the community, he was loved and respected by all. He always surrounded himself with friends and family. Sadly, he lost all of his old friends but was so blessed to make new ones. He had a breakfast club, a luncheon group as well as a Queen of Hearts group at the Canton VFW. The family is especially grateful to Connie and Ray Fountain, Bill and Marlene Kotz, and Pete and Charolette Thomas, as well as so many others who took him out or came to his home to visit. His social connections kept him young. The family would also like to thank all the staff at Maplewood Rehabilitation Center for all the excellent care during his time there.

Jack is survived by his sons Steven (Lynn) Lawrence and James Lawrence both of Potsdam; daughters, Mary Lawrence of Canton; Kathleen Lawrence of Ormond Beach, FL; and Patricia (Kirk) Todd of Canton. His nine grandchildren Harrison (Amanda) Lawrence, Newburgh, NY; Delaney Lawrence and her fiancée Kevin Swenson, Boston, MA; John (Chantal) Lawrence, James (Allison) Lawrence, and Thomas (Katelynn) Lawrence all of Potsdam; Sara (Darrel) Ackroyd of Ballston Spa; Travis (Nicole) Todd and Jessica (Chris) Wheeler both of Canton; and Andrew  (Ashley) Todd of Malone. Also surviving are ten great-grandchildren, a sister, Joanne McAvoy, and many nieces and nephews.

Besides his parents, grandparents and his wife Rita, he was predeceased by his stepmother Geraldine Lawrence, brother-in-law Ronnie McAvoy and his Finnegan family Helen, Howard, Mildred, Ruth, Fran, Leona, Walter and Lloyd.

Calling hours for Jack will be held on Tuesday, May 27, 2025 at the O'Leary Funeral Home in  Canton, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 11:30 am at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Canton. Burial at the convenience of the family will be in the St. Mary's Cemetery.

Memorial donations in his honor can be made to the  Patricia A. Todd '81, '83/Lawrence Family Endowed Scholarship c/o Canton College Foundation, 34 Cornell Drive, Canton NY 13617 https://sunyalumni.canton.edu/g/scholarships or to a charity of one's choice.

Memories and condolences may be shared on Jack's memorial page at www.olearyfuneralservice.com. Arrangements for John A. "Jack" Lawrence are under the care of the O'Leary Funeral Service of Canton.

St. Mary's Church
68 Court Street, Canton NY 13617

Patricia Todd '81 / '83 Lawrence Family Endowed Scholarship
34 Cornell Drive, Canton NY 13617
Web: https://sunyalumni.canton.edu/g/scholarships