Robert Allen Lawrence, 76, of Boise, Idaho passed away peacefully Sunday, September 5, 1999 in Boise, of natural causes.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, September 7, 1999 at the Memorial Estates Cemetery chapel, 3115 E. 7800 South, Salt Lake City, Utah, with the viewing at 1 p.m.Robert was born in Shelley, Idaho on November 17, 1922 to George Howard Lawrence and Pearl Oler. He grew up in American Falls and Shelley until his father passed away. He then moved with his mother and family to Logan, UT. Robert was a top student in his school classes, and went on to study at Utah State University, where he received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1944. During World War II, he was trained in the new field of radar at MIT, and subsequently served in Puerto Rico as a Naval Radar Officer until the war ended. Robert met Evelyn Smith while attending Utah State University, and they were married on the 18th of March, 1944 in Boston, Massachusetts, while he was attending MIT. They were sealed a year later in the St. George Temple. He and his wife, Evelyn became the parents of seven daughters and one son.
Robert had a very interesting career as an electrical engineer and an aerospace engineer. His career included positions at General Electric, IBM, Northrop Corporation, Lockheed, Jet Propulsion Laboratories, NASA, Thiokol and Hercules Chemical Corporations. He had a great love of teaching and worked for a number of years as a teacher and a school administrator.
Robert was a kind and loving father and grandfather and raised his children in the Gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He loved math and science and was always willing to help his children and grandchildren with their homework. He had served in many callings in the LDS Church and was especially active in missionary work. He had a great love of history and a great enthusiasm for genealogical research and often told stories about his family.
Survivors include his seven daughters, Eleanor Slaugh of Sunnyvale, CA; Beatrice Connell of Boise, ID; Beulah Laris of Roosevelt, UT; Janet Pocock of Boise, ID; Athelia Schwarze of Livermore, CA; Kathryn Henderson of Jamesport, MO; and Sylvia Calladine of Hayward, CA; one son, David Lawrence of Provo, Utah; 36 grandchildren, three great grandchildren; one sister, Arita Blanchard; one brother, Howard (Larry). He was preceded in death by his wife, Evelyn Smith Lawrence, who passed away just six days earlier, and by his parents, and by sister, Dorothy Lawrence, Ione Broadhurst, and by brothers, George, Clair, Clifford, Reid, Daniel, and Joseph.
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