Winnie Shirley Lawrence, 92, of Avondale Estates, GA died peacefully after a brief illness on Saturday February 13, 2010. She was born in Fairmount, GA on September 15, 1917. One of seven children of William Asbury Shirley and Lola Blalock Shirley, she enjoyed a happy childhood which included living in the same building with the jailhouse when her father was Sheriff of Gordon County, GA. While she worked as a young woman at Federated Hardware Mutual, and later at the Trust Company of Georgia, she spent most of her life as a homemaker, devoting countless hours to her garden, growing vegetables and flowers. Winnie was a member of the First Baptist Church of Avondale Estates, GA for almost 50 years. She was preceded in death by her young son Richard Shirley Lawrence in 1949 and her loving husband Fair C. Lawrence in 1977. She is survived by her brother Tarver Shirley of Smyrna, GA, her sister "Bill" Shirley Mozley of Snellville, GA, her son Stephen Kirk Lawrence of West Palm Beach, FL, her grandson Richard Patrick Lawrence of Crossville, TN, her granddaughter Erin Lawrence Perlick and great grandson Ross Nicholas Perlick, both of Murfreesboro, TN. Funeral Services will be held Saturday February 20, 2010 at 1:00 PM at the Chapel of A.S. Turner & Sons, Dr. Bert Vaughn officiating. Burial will follow at Fain's Cemetery in Calhoun, GA. The family will receive friends immediately prior to the service at 11:00 AM also at Turner's, and then at Winnie's home in Avondale Estates Saturday evening. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to operationhomefront.net, a military charity that serves the same need that Winnie experienced when her husband was prisoner of war during World War II.
