Iva A. (Newkirk) Lawrence

September 24, 1938 - March 31, 2014

Iva A. Lawrence, 75, of Milwaukee formerly of Sextonville, passed away on March 31, 2014, at UW Hospital with her two children at her side following a courageous five-year battle with multiple myeloma. She was born Iva Aletta Newkirk on Sept. 24, 1938 the parents of Willard and Dora "Maude" (Fuller) Newkirk, and grew up in Sextonville, Wis., graduating from Ithaca (Wis.) High School in 1956. She married John P. Lawrence on July 22, 1961, and they spent 51 years together. For the past five decades, Iva has called Milwaukee home. She spent more than 30 years working in stores around Milwaukee and across Wisconsin as a sales representative for companies such as Gillette and Johnson & Johnson. Iva enjoyed bargain hunting, and vacationing in Door County, Wis., and Fort Myers Beach, Fla. But what Iva enjoyed most of all was being with family -- especially her grandchildren Nick, Ashley, Pat, Emily and Hailey, and her great-grandchildren Austin, Andrew and Bernadette. A week rarely went by that Iva didn't have meaningful contact with several of her youngest fans. Iva is survived by her son, David (Jeri) Lawrence of Milwaukee and daughter Deb (Todd) Finkelmeyer of Madison. She also is survived by sisters Naomi, Charlotte and Gertrude, and brothers Clifford and Ralph, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, John, and her brothers Walter and Oliver, and sister Helen. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, April 2, 2014 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM and also a Eulogy service will be held at 7:30 PM at the Clary Memorial Funeral Home in Richland Center. A Graveside Service will be held on Thursday at 10 AM at the Sextonville Cemetery. On line condolences can be made at www.clarymemorialfuneralhome.com