Obituaries

Laurence Fay Lillibridge – Manchester

Laurence Fay Lillibridge died on August 28, 2022, surrounded by his children and grandchildren. Laurence was born on October 27, 1926 in Greeley; his parents were Charles Clarion Lillibridge and Lulu (Rolfe) Lillibridge. If you were to ask Laurence about
growing up in the Greeley and Oneida area, he would tell you that “back in the day, they were both bustling towns”. Laurence’s
memories from his childhood included farming with his horses and milking cows by hand and lantern light. Laurence graduated from Oneida High School in 1944 with high honors.

Throughout Laurence’s entire life he always had the sharpest memory, and even up until the end his long-term memory was not
diminished. He loved to share memories with his kids, grandkids, and even friends that would visit him. One of his most cherished
memories is the day he married his beloved wife, Helen Louise (Mead) Lillibridge. The two were united in marriage on August 12,
1950 at the Baptist Parsonage in Manchester. This was the beginning of a beautiful life together. The two started their journey together by farming on the family farm and being partners in their farming business together. Laurence was always proud of the fact that he
was an Iowa Farmer! He loved being outdoors on the farm, crop production, and raising their livestock. Though Laurence always
appeared to be a very humble man, he had a lot of pride for the farm that he and Helen had together.

Another area of pride for Laurence is the fact that he and Helen raised six children on their family farm. Laurence’s six children who survive him: Larry (Remziye) Lillibridge of Selcuk, Turkey, Julia (Richard) Lenhart of Manchester, Carolyn Brooks of Earlville,
Mary (Daniel) Krogmann of Greeley, Robert (Ellen) Lillibridge of Cedar Rapids, and Dean (Rowena) Lillibridge of Phoenix, Arizona. Laurence set a great example for his six kids including attending church regularly on Sundays at the United Methodist Church in
Greeley, being an active community member by being involved with the Lions Club, being a part of the Delaware County Farm
Bureau, and involved with the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Laurence always made time for his family, despite the
endless amount of work that needed to be tended to on the farm. Laurence and Helen tried to take the kids away on day trips as often as they could, since they couldn’t be away from the farm for more than a day. It was common for Laurence and Helen to take the kids on educational Sunday trips to museums, parks, historical sights, sightseeing, and to nearby towns.

Though Laurence treasured his farming days, the time eventually came for him and Helen to lead a slower paced life, so starting in
October of 1986, they purchased a house in Prescott Valley, Arizona and decided to become “snow birds”, spending their
spring/summer months in Manchester, and the fall/winter months in Arizona. Laurence and Helen continued this pattern for many
years before they decided to live in Prescott Valley permanently. During their years as “snow birds” Laurence had picked up a few
new hobbies including reading, woodworking, gardening and writing/publishing his own books. Laurence enjoyed reading western
novels and watching old western films most of all. Laurence became very talented with his woodworking skills and many of his
kids/grandkids have been blessed to have many pieces of furniture and decor that he made over the years. Another source of pride for Laurence is the fact that he wrote and self-published four of his own books: Hard Marches, Hard Crackers and Hard Beds; Allen Mead Diaries: From Hoosiers to Hawkeyes; Echoing From Our Past Our Roundup of True Stories: Book 1; Echoing From the Past Book 2: My Last Roundup of True Stories. Any story or anecdote that was ever shared with friends and family, is sure to be documented in
one of his four books. Laurence did a lot of research to ensure that all of his childhood, family history, and memories he and Helen
made in their life together were all documented in these books.

Though Laurence and Helen spent a lot of their time in Arizona, whenever they came back to Iowa in the spring/summer they made sure to fill up their time by visiting and creating memories with their grandchildren. All in all, Laurence and Helen were blessed with 14 grandchildren! Many times, throughout Laurence’ final years of life it was not unheard of for him to boast about his grandchildren and how proud he was of them! Laurence definitely set the bar high for being a hard-working individual but this was also a value he passed onto not only his kids, but also his grandkids; Laurence was not shy about sharing the fact that he had very successful
grandkids. Laurence’ surviving grandchildren include: Aysegul Lillibridge of Izmir, Turkey, Heather (Joe) Schroeder of Prairie Du
Chien, Wisconsin, Jeff Lenhart (Nichole Smith) of Dubuque, Kim (Aaron Shoop) Brooks of Monticello, Stefanie (Mitch) Dingbaum of Earlville, Tim (Jen) Krogmann of Earlville, Jessica (Paul) Pape of Dyersville, Brian (Raechel) Krogmann of Greeley, Kati
Lillibridge of Cedar Rapids, Grace Lillibridge of Chandler, Arizona; and Faith Lillibridge of Phoenix, Arizona. Along with their 14 grandchildren, Laurence and Helen were also lucky enough to have 10 great-grandchildren which include: Allyson Schroeder,
Emmerson Schroeder, Kain Krogmann, Ian Krogmann, Chase Krogmann, Hayleigh Ries, Westin Pape, Emmett Pape, Grace
Krogmann, and Jonah Krogmann. Laurence was always so proud of his growing family, even up until the end! He loved to see his
family growing!

If you asked anyone to describe Laurence, they would say he was one of the humblest human beings, slow to anger, kind and
compassionate, hard-working, extremely knowledgeable, and a faithful Christian. In Laurence’s life he has been lucky enough to
witness many miracles of God’s mighty hand, including being healed from Stage 4 Prostate Cancer in the early 1990s. This was often a story that Laurence loved to share with loved ones and friends. More than anything else though, what Laurence treasured and valued is his loved ones: his wife, Helen, his children, his grand-children, and great-grandchildren.

Laurence was preceded in death by his wife, Helen Lillibridge; his parents Charles Lillibridge & Lulu Lillibridge; his grandson
Bradley Brooks; two granddaughters Kaye Krogmann and Jeni Rose Lillibridge; and his brothers Merle, Harlan, Donald and Harold Lillibridge.

Online condolences may be sent to www.leonard-mullerfh.com.

Memorial Service: 10:30 a.m., Saturday, September 10, 2022, at Greeley Methodist Church in Greeley, with Pastor Pete Buschmann officiating. Visitation: 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday, September 9, 2022, at Greeley Methodist Church in Greeley, Iowa. Inurnment: Mead Cemetery – rural Manchester, Iowa.

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