LIFE REFLECTIONS

Lawrence Donal Rose was born on August 14, 1930, in Cincinnati, OH to the late Mary Jane Hughes. He departed early Saturday morning on March 1, 2025. He was 94 years old. Sonny, as he was affectionately called, was reared by his maternal grandmother, Bessie Rose in Huntington, WV, and Cincinnati, OH where he attended public schools. Sonny enjoyed playing baseball and spent much of his childhood with his aunts, Lillian, Alice, Viola, and uncle, Arnold.

At the early age of seventeen, Sonny enlisted in the United States Navy in 1948 where he started his career on the USS Colonial LSD-18. He valued this service highly and retained the rank of Chief Petty Officer Boatswain's Mate before his honorable discharge and retirement in 1979. During his tenure as a "Navy Man," Sonny traveled to many U.S. ports across the country as well as European and Asian countries. He also served in the Korean War. He was an avid softball player known for his fast pitch in the Navy softball league.

While stationed in Norfolk, VA, Sonny met his beloved wife, Rosa Patricia Rose. After a brief courtship, they were married on October 18, 1952, in Washington, DC. Their union spanned over fifty-three years until Rosa went to glory in 2006. During their marriage, they were blessed with one daughter, Sharon, while in Boston, MA. They later moved to Portsmouth, VA where Sonny retired after over 30 years of service in the United States Navy.

Sonny later received his automotive mechanic certification and became the neighborhood mechanic. There was not a car he could not fix, and he taught many of the fundamentals needed to change a tire, change your oil, or use your jumper cables. He was always available to talk about sports and if you had "skills," he would challenge you in a game of horseshoes.

Sonny moved to Hamilton, VA to be closer to his daughter and family before transitioning to glory and joining his beloved, Rosa.

Lawrence, also affectionately called Sonny, Uncle Sonny, and Papa Rose, leaves to cherish his memory one dedicated daughter, Sharon Rose Stokes; son-in-law, Linwood Antwoin Stokes Sr; two grandsons, Linwood Antwoin Stokes, Jr, and Isaiah Lawrence Stokes; and loving sister, Dorothy Gregory (Ft. Washington, MD). He was also loved by several nieces and nephews, including Roy Bembry who visited often from Chesapeake, VA.