This week’s Shelter Island obituaries
Patricia Joyce Lawrenson
Patricia (Patsy) Joyce Lawrenson, 84, of Pinehurst, North Carolina passed away peacefully on August 12, 2013 at her home.
Born March 10, 1929 in Ridgewood, New Jersey, she was the loving wife of Richard T. Lawrenson, the daughter of the late Cornell and Lura Newcombe and the sister of Cynthia Poletti. She is survived by her husband: Richard, and their five children, Richard Thomas Lawrenson Jr. (Kingston, Massachusetts); Lura Gaynor Lawrenson and Barbara Joyce Larsen (St. Augustine, Forida); Kenneth Newcomb Lawrenson (Hallandale, Florida); and Peter Cornell Lawrenson (Gainesville, Georgia).
The Lawrensons made their home on Hay Beach for over 25 years and have many Island friends.
Patsy enjoyed the company of her 13 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. As an accomplished classical pianist and vocalist her entire lifetime, she and Richard performed in the Follies, theatrical productions and church choirs throughout their years together. Piano music always filled the home.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Community Congregational Church, 141 N. Bennett Street, Southern Pines, North Carolina 28387 or First Health Palliative Care, PO Box 5889, 251 Campground Road, Pinehurst, North Carolina 28374 firsthealth.org.
Selina Earls
Selina Earls, a member of the Shelter Island Garden Club and a rescuer of abandoned cats, died August 7, 2013 at Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead. She had been at the Riverhead Nursing Home while recovering from surgery for a broken hip.
Born in Sweetwater, Tennessee, Selina came to New York City in her 20s to pursue a successful career as an executive secretary for firms such as Charles Pfizer & Co. and Equitable Life & Casualty Insurance Company. She loved the city, her friends said, but on retirement in 1985 she moved to Shelter Island. She became a representative here for Mary Kay products.
Selina loved animals, especially cats, going all over the Island feeding those that had been abandoned. Her home became a haven for the kittens and cats she rescued. She was such a good caretaker that many of her pets lived beyond 20 years.
She loved to garden and was especially proud of her tomatoes each summer. Her indoor plants were the focal point of her living room. Her family in Tennessee had a long history of farming and Selina often entertained friends with stories of making homemade jam and picking vegetables for dinner on the family farm when she was young. She always had a big party, usually at a restaurant, in March to celebrate her birthday. Friends knew to bring presents for both Selina and her cats.
She is survived by her good friend Robert Needham; her niece, Sharon Wertz; her cousin, Geraldine Brown; her niece, Caroline Blizard; and two nephews, Chester Blizard and Euston Earls.
A memorial service will be held at a future date.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Shelter Island Webster Foundation (for feral cats), P.O. Box 407, Shelter Island Heights, New York 11965.
Teresa (Terry) Franklin
Teresa (Terry) Franklin, 90, of Reston, Virginia, mother of long-time Island resident Lynn Franklin and frequent visitor here, passed away July 27, 2013.
Terry was born in London, England, on March 28, 1923. She attended a private school for girls until war broke out in 1939. In 1940, all British citizens were expected to join the armed forces or do some type of war work. Terry was sent to work for the U.S. Army as a senior administrative assistant with the Services of Supply for General Eisenhower’s European theater of operations.
In September 1944 Terry moved to Paris just two weeks after the city’s liberation to serve as a civilian volunteer. It was in Paris where she met Captain Joseph B. Franklin, and they were married there on May 25, 1945.
With the war’s end, the young couple settled first in Chicago. A year later, they moved to Ft. Eustis, near Newport News, Virginia. Joe was then a major and would advance to the rank of colonel over the ensuing 23 years of his military career. Terry, Joe and their two daughters, Lynn and Laurie, were posted around the U.S. and abroad. Tours in Hokkaido, Japanand Orléans, France, were highlights. During her husband’s years of service, Terry served as president of the Officers’ Wives’ Club in Orléans and in Washington, DC. She was also on the board of the Franco-American Wives Club while they lived in Orléans.
When Joe was stationed at the Pentagon for his last tour of duty, Terry established “Terry’s Treasures,” an antique business. After her husband retired from the military, they moved to southern California, and she continued her business there, doing antique shows and owning a shop. Joe passed away in 1993, and Terry eventually moved back to Virginia, settling in Reston and keeping her antique business going until 2006.
Terry Franklin is survived by daughters Lynn Franklin and Laurie Callahan, grandson Hardie Stevens and granddaughter Erin Ingham, great-granddaughter Lindsay Stevens, and great-grandsons Jim Stevens and Gabriel Ingham. She will be remembered by countless family members and friends with love.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to:
• United Christian Parish (UCP): ucpreston.org
• Macular Degeneration Research Foundation: brightfocus.org/macular/
• Doctors Without Borders: doctorswithoutborders.org
• Donaldson Adoption Institute, The Lynn Franklin Fund: adoptioninstitute.org/programs/franklinfund.php