Audrey Elva (Meiners) Lawrence was born at home in Houston County, Minnesota to Louise (nee Fruechte) and Martin F. Meiners on December 16, 1924. She succumbed to COPD in the Prairie Home Hospice in Marshall, MN on September 30, 2014. Audrey attended high school in Milroy, MN, graduating in the class of 1942. She went on to study nursing in Mankato where she received her LPN certificate in 1944 and later worked in the Willmar hospital. Shortly after, she met Carl Lawrence, who served in the Navy in the Pacific during the WWII. Audrey and Carl were married on March 14, 1946, in Lucan, MN. They had three children and went on to enjoy sixty years together. In 1954, they settled in Minneota, MN where they purchased the Minneota Greenhouse & Floral Shop. Audrey began her career with no experience but learned and established a professional career as a florist until 2004 when she retired after 45 years. She delighted in making flower bouquets, corsages, and arrangements for weddings, high school proms, and special occasions. Audrey was active in the American Legion Auxiliary for many years and served as an officer. As a parishioner of Hope Lutheran Church, she served as a Deacon and Sunday School teacher and was very active in Circle. She was an avid league bowler and sponsored her own team for many years at the Legion Lanes. One accomplishment she was very proud of was her donation of over 15 gallons of blood during her lifetime. In the fifties, she was a Girl Scout leader. Audrey and Carl were the first family in Minneota to host a foreign exchange student. Audrey really enjoyed canning, cooking, and baking and living in a small town. She was always an upbeat and candid person who loved joking and making fun. In her many quips she said you know you live in a small town when you dial a wrong number and talk for 45 minutes.
Audrey was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Carl, a brother Lynn (Nancy) Meiners of Scottsdale, AZ, and a sister Shirley (Clarence) Gilb of Marshall, MN. She is survived by her three children, Sherie (Les) Stroklund of Silver Lake, MN, Larry (Donna) Lawrence of Coupeville, WA and Bradley Lawrence of Carefree, AZ; sisters Roxanne Jensen of Hutchinson, MN, Randeen (Daniel) Murphy of Sleepy Eye, MN, Verneil Thompson of Alexandria, MN; and brothers Amber (Julie) Meiners of Coolidge, AZ, David (Becky) Meiners of Pipestone, MN and Dean (Sandy) Meiners of Clarissa, MN. She is also survived by four grandchildren; Lisa (Jeffrey) Bernard, Amy Champagne, Amber Lawrence and Trevor Lawrence; and 7 great grandchildren, Megan and Shannon Bernard, Abby and Jack Champagne, Callie Melendez, Violet Devine, and Evan Lawrence.
