Obituary of Virginia P. Lawrence

Virginia P. (Dinny) Lawrence, 88, of New Canaan, CT passed away on November 17, 2022 at Norwalk Hospital.  The youngest of three, Dinny was born on June 25, 1934 in Scranton, PA to the late George and Gertrude Peck.  She spent her childhood on a gentleman’s farm with sisters Martha (Peck) Burgess and Janice (Peck) Patterson in a rural suburb of Scranton known as Waverly, PA.  The Peck family would summer every year at the family home on the bluff on East Chop, Martha’s Vineyard.

She attended The Waverly School and went on to study at Bucknell before moving to New York City in 1956 to begin pursuing a career in retail.  It was there that she would meet her future husband, Albert E. Lawrence ll, of Yonkers.  After an April wedding in 1957, the couple would start their life together in Bronxville NY, moving to Port Chester NY and ultimately, New Canaan in 1965.  She would spend the rest of her life in New Canaan and raise her three sons, Albert lll, Geoff and Chris in town.  

Dinny’s life was full as she would forego her career in favor of raising her family.  In addition to her husband and the three boys, the population of the household would reflect her lifelong passion for animals.  There was an ongoing parade of Springer Spaniels, cats, and to this day, a flock of chickens.  She was an avid tennis player and would regularly play at the Lake Club in New Canaan and the East Chop Tennis Club on the Vineyard.  Summers on the Vineyard were especially dear as they provided an opportunity to reconnect with life long summer friends and extended family.  Beach picnics, gatherings on the porch and dances at the East Chop Beach Club would contribute to a lifetime of memories for not only her, but the rest of the family as well.  Five generations of the family can call the Bluff House their summer home. A cherished legacy not soon forgotten. 

 Dinny’s faith would remain a lifelong presence and would serve as a cornerstone for the value system she lived by.  Her childhood in Pennsylvania within a family with a strong ecclesiastical tenor meant regular and active church life.  In New Canaan, her immediate family would attend the First Presbyterian Church every Sunday where she served as a deacon and greeter for many years.  She would also lead bereavement groups at the church after the passing of her husband in 1994. 

In addition to her involvement with the church, she was active in the Junior League and, later in life, did volunteer work at the Waveny Care Center and Staying Put. 

Dinny led a life of quiet dignity, humble and unpretentious virtues and rock solid values.  More the quiet observer than the target of the spotlight, she surrounded herself with loyal friends, family and the people she held dear.  She found her strength in her faith and the people she loved and gave each of us a piece of her heart in return. 

She was pre-deceased by her sisters, Marty and Janice and her Husband, Al.  In addition to several nieces and nephews and their families, she is survived by sons Albert (Susan), of Denver NY, Geoff (Elizabeth), of Monroe, CT, and Chris of New Canaan, and beloved granddaughters, Carolyn Lawrence of Burlington VT, Anna Lawrence of Salt Lake City UT and Meaghan Lawrence of Boston MA.

There will be a memorial service at the First Presbyterian Church of New Canaan on January 14^th  at 12:00 PM.