Help With Funeral Costs For Luanne Lawrence

My name is Sarah Lawrence and my mother, Luanne, passed away this past Friday, September 16, 2022, while on vacation with her sister, my aunt Cathy, in Los Angeles - a trip she’d been dreaming about for the past couple years. Though her passing was sudden and unexpected, my mom had a number of ongoing health issues going back to 2019, and my father, her husband Jordan, wishes to have an autopsy done to find out what happened. We suspect it was either the abdominal aortic aneurysm she had that ruptured, or a heart attack, but would very much like to know for sure. With my mom passing out of state, there are a number of hoops to jump through as far as getting her back home to us here in Illinois, as well as the autopsy in general, which would be done by a private firm and would require quite a hefty payment upfront. My mom had been out of work for some time and my dad is a recently retired bus driver, so money has been tight, and much of what we had was used to get us out to California to be with my aunt immediately following my mom’s passing.

So I have created this fundraiser on behalf of my dad. I would love nothing more than to be able to assist him however I can during this time, just as he took such loving and compassionate care of my mom during these last three years. She was his entire existence while she was ill. Anything she wanted or needed, anything to make things easier for her, he made possible for her. My mom and I spoke often about how my dad should be looked after too, and I know that it would comfort her immensely to have some financial burden taken off of his shoulders.

My mom was the most compassionate and resilient person I knew. She would give you the shirt off her back, which is a cliche but is no exaggeration. As recently as earlier this year, she helped a lost little girl in our neighborhood find her family - even running despite her limited mobility. If someone needed help or a friend, there was no hesitation from her. She was there for you. She even made friends with several of the dogs in our neighborhood and had a box of treats on the patio for anybody that came by. I could speak forever about her kindness and warmth and I know that anybody who knew her knows.

My mom was my confidante, my best friend, and my pillar of strength. I love her more than I could possibly convey in words and will miss her forever. I want to honor her memory and the beautiful person she was by helping to make sure my family is taken care of however I can. If we are unable to cover the autopsy in enough time, any help with funeral costs would be so, so deeply appreciated. From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of my family, I want to thank all who have reached out to us already with calls, messages, and offers of support. It truly means the world.

(A quick note on the picture I chose for this: I unfortunately did not have any recent photos of my mom that I took myself, except this one, which I took just a couple weeks ago. Her sitting on the couch with my dad and our cat Nugget was the sweetest little moment that I felt compelled to capture and am so happy that I did. It’s my last picture of her.)