Lawrence Severs (Mansfield)'s Obituary
Lawrence Marion Severs, son of Ralph Aaron Severs, Sr. and Della Elizabeth Walton Severs, was born July 17, 1928 in St. Louis County, Missouri and departed this life on April 26, 2015 in his home in rural Seymour, Missouri at the age of eighty-six years, nine months and nine days.
On March 13, 1965 he was united in marriage to Ernestine Malone, and in this union three children were born.
He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Ralph Aaron Severs, Jr. and Wallace Severs; four sisters, Florence Messner, Violet Severs, Hazel Howard and Virginia Ehlers.
Lawrence is survived by his wife of fifty years, Ernestine of the home; son, David Severs of Seymour, Missouri; two daughters, Virginia Severs of Ozark, Missouri and Nancy Cook and husband, Larry of Mansfield, Missouri; five grandchildren, Jessica Mitchell and husband, J.C., Amanda Cook, Malori, Madalyn and Kenadee Severs; two great-grandchildren, Sidney and Jamie Mitchell; several nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends.
Lawrence was born in the St. Louis area and spent his youth there and in Bonnie, Illinois. As a teen, he started welding for a car shop that was later transformed to make train cars to ship supplies for the military during WWII. His job was to weld the wheel axels to the train car. As a young man, he worked a variety of jobs, owning and operating a full service station with a cousin, in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. He later moved to Montana to help his brother-in-law and sister build a church they were pioneering for the Assemblies of God in Plains, Montana. While there he worked for Morrison-Knudsen welding rebar for the dam wall on the Clark Fork River near in Montana. While welding repairs on heavy equipment, he developed a desire to become a heavy equipment operator. He fulfilled that desire, operating heavy equipment in various places in the West clearing roadways in the Montana mountains to the California Grapevine. In California, he worked at Vandenberg Air Force Base where he operated a crane, setting silos for missiles. In Portland, Oregon he worked for the Forestry Department where he ran a roller paving roads on Mt. Hood. While in Oregon, he had the opportunity to work for a new company building an equipment system for sawmills. This system took the sawdust, turned it to powder, dried it, and injected it into a burner which was used to provide power to run the sawmill. This was a new adventure in the sawmill industry. His job there was welding stainless steel containers for this process to the point where he operated the system controlling the gages to make this process possible.
Choosing to move closer to family, he and Ernestine moved their young children to the Mansfield, Missouri area, where they purchased a farm and raised cattle and rabbits. He spent the rest of his life involved with his family, church, and community.
Lawrence made of profession of faith in Christ many years ago and was a lifelong member of the Assemblies of God. Over the years, he volunteered in the church fulfilling various duties. He ran the sound system at First Assembly of God in Mansfield for many years and prepared the pastor’s recorded sermon’s for radio broadcasts as well as driving the church van.
He served as a volunteer Webster County Ranger working under the auspices of the Sheriff’s Department and would ride along with the deputies. Other duties included taking tickets or helping with crowd control at community events. He was a operator with Project Livesaver. Project Lifesaver International is the premier Search & Rescue(SAR) program specifically designed for “At Risk” individuals who are prone to the life threatening behavior of wandering.
Lawrence had a wide range of hobbies including hunting bear, deer, rabbit, turkey, and other birds. He enjoyed reloading ammunition, raising rabbits for show winning Blue Ribbons and trophies and later for the meat. The joy of flying led him to obtain his pilot’s license. His passion for trains encouraged him to build a room so he could set up a model train display. He loved playing his guitar in church and with friends and recorded some of their music sessions on 45’s. He had the opportunity to play his Gibson guitar while his children joined him on the piano, steel guitar and bass guitar before poor health prevented him from playing his instrument.
Lawrence was a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle and a caring neighbor and friend. We celebrate his life and many accomplishments and will cherish the many wonderful memories he created for his family and friends.
What’s your fondest memory of Lawrence ?
What’s a lesson you learned from Lawrence ?
Share a story where Lawrence 's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Lawrence you’ll never forget.
How did Lawrence make you smile?