Lawrence Effa
May 27th, 1929 - July 7th, 2023
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Lawrence's Obituary
Lawrence Effa went Home to be with his Lord on Friday, July 7th, 2023. Visitation will be from 12 to 2 PM on Sunday July 16, 2023 at Starks Funeral Home at 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph, MI directly followed by the funeral service at 2 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Chain of Love Homes (Brazil) C/O North American Baptists, Inc. 1219 Pleasant Grove Blvd., Roseville, CA 95678
Lawrence was born on May 27, 1929 to Julius and Olga [Weick] now deceased. His brothers Mervin, Alvin, Herman and Earl and sister Lois preceded him in death. Left to remember him is his older brother Fred, along with many nieces and nephews.
Lawrence was a man of strong faith and commitment to his family; a man who lived a life filled with hard work, courage and laughter. In 1955, he and his wife, Joyce [Knoll], packed their car with all their belongings, their young daughter Judith, and armed with courage and confidence, they left their life of farming on the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada and their large extended family, to venture to the US to build a new life. Landing in St. Joseph, Michigan, Lawrence joined the Whirlpool Corporation where he enjoyed 33 years of employment and the friendships he developed there. Lawrence also parlayed his building expertise along with his education from Springside Schools [Canada] and the North American Baptist College in Edmonton, Canada into becoming an adjunct instructor at Lakeland College.
During this time, Lawrence and Joyce were also busy raising their three children; Judith, Kevin [Pattie] and Joe [Kathy]. This family has grown to include seven grandchildren: Judith’s daughters India and Adrienne, Kevin and Pattie’s children Angela [Jeff] and Nathan, and Joe and Kathy’s sons Zachary, Garrett and Samuel[Summer]. Great grandchildren include India’s sons, Gabriel and Kameron and Angela’s [Jeff] daughters Hazel, Norah and Margaret.
While working incredibly hard, there was still nothing more important to Lawrence than his faith in Jesus and his church family. He and Joyce were long time members of Napier Parkview Baptist Church where Lawrence served in various capacities, sang in the choir and pitched for the men’s fast-pitch softball team. They are currently members of the Washington Avenue Church of God. After retiring from Whirlpool, he ministered for 24 years at the Lakeland Continuing Care facility participating in weekly services for the residents, singing and giving messages of salvation and hope. He also went on several mission trips over the course of his lifetime, both in the United States and in Brazil. His favorite verse is Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus ….”
Finally, in his leisure time, Lawrence and Joyce traveled extensively and globally. Their biggest adventure would probably be the time they were held at gunpoint at the Jordanian Border for several hours. He said the best trip ever was the European river cruise that he and Joyce took for their 50th wedding anniversary. He and Joyce met and were flirting by age 12 at a church conference. They were married in 1952 and he left his earthly family 5 days short of their 71 wedding anniversary. As recently as 2016, Lawrence stated that “the honeymoon will be over when he kicks the bucket”.
Lawrence was born on May 27, 1929 to Julius and Olga [Weick] now deceased. His brothers Mervin, Alvin, Herman and Earl and sister Lois preceded him in death. Left to remember him is his older brother Fred, along with many nieces and nephews.
Lawrence was a man of strong faith and commitment to his family; a man who lived a life filled with hard work, courage and laughter. In 1955, he and his wife, Joyce [Knoll], packed their car with all their belongings, their young daughter Judith, and armed with courage and confidence, they left their life of farming on the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada and their large extended family, to venture to the US to build a new life. Landing in St. Joseph, Michigan, Lawrence joined the Whirlpool Corporation where he enjoyed 33 years of employment and the friendships he developed there. Lawrence also parlayed his building expertise along with his education from Springside Schools [Canada] and the North American Baptist College in Edmonton, Canada into becoming an adjunct instructor at Lakeland College.
During this time, Lawrence and Joyce were also busy raising their three children; Judith, Kevin [Pattie] and Joe [Kathy]. This family has grown to include seven grandchildren: Judith’s daughters India and Adrienne, Kevin and Pattie’s children Angela [Jeff] and Nathan, and Joe and Kathy’s sons Zachary, Garrett and Samuel[Summer]. Great grandchildren include India’s sons, Gabriel and Kameron and Angela’s [Jeff] daughters Hazel, Norah and Margaret.
While working incredibly hard, there was still nothing more important to Lawrence than his faith in Jesus and his church family. He and Joyce were long time members of Napier Parkview Baptist Church where Lawrence served in various capacities, sang in the choir and pitched for the men’s fast-pitch softball team. They are currently members of the Washington Avenue Church of God. After retiring from Whirlpool, he ministered for 24 years at the Lakeland Continuing Care facility participating in weekly services for the residents, singing and giving messages of salvation and hope. He also went on several mission trips over the course of his lifetime, both in the United States and in Brazil. His favorite verse is Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus ….”
Finally, in his leisure time, Lawrence and Joyce traveled extensively and globally. Their biggest adventure would probably be the time they were held at gunpoint at the Jordanian Border for several hours. He said the best trip ever was the European river cruise that he and Joyce took for their 50th wedding anniversary. He and Joyce met and were flirting by age 12 at a church conference. They were married in 1952 and he left his earthly family 5 days short of their 71 wedding anniversary. As recently as 2016, Lawrence stated that “the honeymoon will be over when he kicks the bucket”.
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