Lawrence John De Pons

De Pons, Lawrence John,
Passed away on Sunday, October 28th, 2018 at the age of 68. Dear father of Jeffrey (Laura), Brian (Stacy), and Bradley (Kerry). Proud grandpa of Ivy, Elliot, Madelyn, Lucy, Sawyer, Zack, and Joey. Loving brother of Cel (Joe), Marcy (the late Don), the late Gordy (Sandy), Lorraine, Bob (Marcia), John (Pat), Mary (Dick), Gerard, Rich, LuAnne, and Paul (Sophie). Preceded in death by parents Gordon and Lucy Ellen “Nellie” De Pons (nee Rice). Also survived by 31 nieces and nephews, other relatives and many friends.
Memorial visitation will be held at the funeral home on Friday, November 2nd from 10AM-12PM, followed by the memorial service at 12PM. Interment St. Anthony’s Cemetery in Menomonee Falls.

Lawrence was born and raised on the north side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, growing up in a family of fourteen. His childhood was filled with love and laughter, much of which was brought on by him. It seems that growing up in a household of twelve children had an impact on his life goals, and on the advice of his parish priest, he spent his first year of high school studying to join the priesthood at St. Lawrence Seminary High School in Mt Calvary, WI. Luckily for his children, he didn’t realize how hard it would be so far away from home, so he moved back to the Milwaukee area and attended Pius XI High School for his sophomore year. His final two years were spent at Brown Deer High School, which is where his interests in gymnastics peaked, earning a state championship in high bar during his senior year. He continued his interests and was a gymnast for the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, but this isn’t where his college career ended. For a second time, Lawrence decided to come back home to Milwaukee, where he completed his degree in History at The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.
After graduating college, following a New Year’s Eve party in 1973, he started talking with a woman in a bar named Linda. A year later, they were married, and a year after that in 1975, Lawrence became a father with his oldest son Jeffrey. As the years passed, the laughter of two more children, Brian and Bradley, filled the household. During this time Lawrence also began his thirty-year career as a crane operator for the Automotive Products unit for A.O. Smith/Tower Automotive, which he retired from in 2005. It was in this crane that one of his favorite hobbies was able to flourish. As it turns out, there was a lot of downtime between moving loads, but Lawrence wasn’t allowed to leave the crane. To fill the time, he decided one day to bring paints and canvases up with him, and in this crane was where the majority of the paintings that fill his family’s walls were created.
Lawrence will be remembered as a man of many traits and many hobbies. First and foremost, he was a proud father, and an even prouder grandfather. He was an avid runner and athlete. He enjoyed oil painting. He loved writing and playing music on the piano. He owned his own business, “De Pons Piano Tuning”, where he re-built and tuned pianos. He had an appreciation of science, with a particular interest in astronomy. Most of all, Lawrence will be remembered for his sense of humor, and his generosity. He will be greatly missed.