Lawrence Broker Hawley “Lion Larry” peacefully left his earthly container on Sunday, December 6, 2020, with family by his side in Holladay, UT.
Larry was born on June 12, 1936, in Brooklyn, NY, but lived most of his life in the Washington, DC area.
Larry served proudly and honorably in the United States Marine Corps and went on to build a career in the telecommunications industry. He worked first at C&P as a lineman, then in marketing, concentrating on Federal projects such as civil defense and the Apollo-Soyuz mission, then for AT&T, focusing on the federal telephone system. After retiring and never one to sit still for long before falling asleep, Larry went on to work for the federal government, where he continued working on the federal telephone system before retiring a second time. He’d probably go into a lot more detail if he were here because he loved talking with people. It doesn’t matter if you knew him or not or if you were alike or different – that man loved all people.
He’d tell you how he married the love of his life, Lavon (Bonnie) Miller 60 years ago and together they raised three (usually) wonderful children in Rockville, MD, before moving to Fredericksburg, VA, then Holladay, UT. He’d share his love of the outdoors, helping people, and really corny jokes. He’d share funny tales of helping children as a coach, referee, swim team volunteer, or Cubmaster. You’d hear about his falling off of Sugarloaf Mountain, his love of sailing, or how much he enjoyed the beach at the family’s beach house in Emerald Isle, NC. He would try to recruit you to join him volunteering at the food bank in Gaithersburg, or to join his Montgomery Central-Derwood or Fredericksburg Lions Clubs. The Lord knows he loved those Lions Clubs where he worked so hard for 40 years to help others by scooping ice cream, running golf tournaments and eyeglass collections, or helping out with Special Olympics and Lions Camp Merrick. I guarantee you he’d have a funny story or two.
Larry leaves behind his beloved Bonnie, children De Hawley-Brown (husband, James Brown and son, Jameson), Broker Hawley (wife, Shauna and daughter, Erin), and Steve Hawley (wife, Karen and children, Abby and Ethan), along with nieces and nephews across the country.
Due to COVID restrictions, we can’t get together to celebrate him this year. Perhaps next year. In the meantime, he would want you to raise a glass of your preferred beverage with loved ones, tell a happy or funny remembrance, then go on to help someone else – preferably someone you don’t even know. Maybe even make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Research Foundation or your local Lions Club.
Godspeed and Semper Fi, Lion Larry.
