Matthew Lawler

LAWLER

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 10/14/2011 at 12:47:08

Michael Lawler Family
“Parnell Centennial: 1885-1985- 100 years in Little Ireland.”

Part III

Marjorie Lawler followed Florence. She loves a good time and I can remember her attending all the dances. She worked in the telephone office until she and Roy O’Rourke were married. They moved to a farm in Oxford, Iowa. They had six children before Roy’s untimely death. Marge worked very hard after that to keep her family together. Rita, her oldest, lives in Cape Giradeau, Missouri. Many of us enjoyed watching Michael on the $64,000 Question, he now lives in San Francisco. Shirley lives in Cedar Rapids and Phoenix; Betty in Phoenix; David in Marion; and Della in Cedar Rapids. Marge later married “Scotty” Scott and they had a son, Bob, who lives in Cedar Rapids. Marjorie still keeps very busy at 83 with so many of her children and grandchildren living close by.

Nina Lawler graduated from high school in 1922. She was a very good student. She taught school for a year and then went to work in Matt’s store. She lived at home until Papa Lawler died. After that she entered the nursing school at Mercy Hospital in Cedar Rapids. She stayed on and worked at Mercy until she was appointed to the Iowa State Board of Nursing Examiners in Des Moines. She remained on the board until she felt she must resign following a few small strokes. She then worked part-time for Mercy Hospital heading up their “Vista vsion” organization, the fisrt of its kind in Iowa. She moved back to Cedar Rapids and worked at Mercy Hospital there until her retirement.

I, Bernice Lawler, am the tenth (last, but not least) of Michael Lawler’s family. I graduated in 1924 from high school and was offered a scholarship to the University of Iowa. I was only able to use part of my scholarship due to financial difficulties. I taught in three different schools around Parnell and Williamsburg. I then moved to Cedar Rapids, took a business course, and worked for Holland Furnace Company until it closed during the depression. The office was transferred to Des Moines and it was there I married my high school sweetheart, Joseph Driscoll, from Holbrook. We lived in Des Moines for 32 years until Joe was transferred to Kansas City to become city manager of Lennox Industries. We have one daughter, Carol, married to Dan Fisher and living in Indianapolis, Indiana. They have three daughters and one son-my beautiful and talented grandchildren.