Richard Walter Lawrence (Laurie)
Richard Walter Lawrence, Laurie (1933 – 2023) was born in Kenton, Harrow on 28th March 1933, a younger brother to Michael and Sylvia. Laurie’s mother died in an air raid in World War 2 when he was ten. Their father died eight years later after Laurie had joined the Royal Navy. He served for ten years as a Petty Officer Writer on HMS Forth, HMS Jamaica and HMS Belfast. Laurie’s civil career was with Amplivox, initially selling and fitting hearing-aids in Bond Street. He was promoted to Branch Manager in Bournemouth and later moved to Bristol to run the audiology department at Dunscombes before becoming Managing Director of Amplivox. He diversified the business into manufacturing hearing aids. In 1990 Laurie was appointed Town Councillor and in 1998 he became Mayor of East Grinstead. Other civic roles included Non-Executive Director of the Queen Victoria Hospital, Chairman of the Chequer Mead Theatre and Arts Centre, Chair of the Meridian Probus Club and Trustee of the Refugees Welcome Crawley. Laurie’s first marriage was to Sheila in 1953 and they had three children, Susan, Kay and Anne. His second marriage was to Margaret and they had Tim and Amy. The family moved from Wraxall, near Bristol to Harpenden before settling in East Grinstead. Laurie’s interests included jazz, theatre, walking and travelling abroad with Margaret to remote countries and continents.
