Obituary of Lawrence Lee Anthony

Lawrence Lee Anthony passed away of natural causes on February 12, 2021, in Lacey, Washington. He was born March 21, 1931, to Harold Bert Anthony and Dora Delilah (Herren) Anthony in Beaver, Oklahoma.  Lawrence lived in Oklahoma (1931 to 1933); Kansas (1933 to 1951); Pasadena, California (1955 to 1980s); Shelton, Washington (1980s to 2017); Olympia, Washington (mid-2018 to mid-2019); and Roo Lan Health and Rehab in Lacey (August 2019 to February 2021).

 

As a kid, Lawrence was a daredevil, climbing trees and 50-foot-tall grain silos. About age 12, he broke both arms after he fell out of a tree—but he got to stay home from school till he mended. Young Lawrence taught himself “Morse Code,” and later this skill served him well as a telegraph operator in the U.S. Army.

 

Lawrence attended “country schools” in Udall, Kansas, through seventh grade. His father took him (and his younger brother Calvin) out of school to work at a sawmill and cut trees for the family. At age 20, he enlisted in the Army, serving from November 1951 to November 1954 during the Korean War.  His highest rank was a corporal and his honors included most distinguished service in “B” Company, 701^st Armed Infantry Battalion; he earned a Combat Infantry Badge; Korean Service Medal; National Defense Service Medal; and U.N. Service Medal.

 

Professionally, he was a semi-truck driver for World Church of God, a bus driver, and a cab driver in Pasadena, California (1955 to 1980s); and a log-truck driver in Shelton, Washington (1980s to 1972). For pleasure, he piloted a small plane, and he also liked to “tinker” with electronics and invent gizmo machines with brother Calvin. Lawrence liked Indian cuisine, swore by chiropractic treatment, and loved his cats. He was a life-long bachelor.

 

Lawrence is survived by brothers, Calvin Dwayne Anthony, Roy Harold Anthony, and David Eugene Anthony; and sisters, Pearl Mae McCord, Lois Marie Anthony, and Betty Jane Anthony.  He was predeceased by his parents; brother, Delbert Ray Anthony; sister, Delores Ann Stephens; paternal grandparents, Joseph Bert “J.B.” Anthony and Mary Alice Green; and maternal grandparents, Ora David Herren and Lucy Bell Altman.

 

A service with military honors will be held at some future date at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Washington.

 

Please leave condolences or share memories and photos on the Tribute Wall to the left.

 

 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Lawrence Anthony, please visit Tribute Store