LAWRENCE JOHN BUYDENS

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LAWRENCE JOHN BUYDENS March 23, 1936-September 6, 2005 It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our dearly beloved husband and father, Lawrence John Buydens after a brief and valiant battle against an aggressive brain tumour on Tuesday, September 6, 2005 at the Concordia Hospital, Winnipeg, MB, at the age of 69 years. His memory will be forever cherished by his teenage sweetheart, Mariette, whom he married on June 30, 1962 and by his daughter Lisa. Lawrence is survived by his sisters, Laurette (Maurice) DeBaets of Holland, MB, Sharon (Richard) Deveson of Morden, MB; a dear aunt Julia Lecoq of Winnipeg, MB; brother and sister-in-law, Gaston (Rachel) Claeys; mother-in-law, Alida Claeys as well as numerous nieces and nephews, cousins and friends and our extended family and friends in Belgium. Lawrence was predeceased by his mother Renee Godard, his father Theophile Buydens, sister Marjory and stepmother Ann Buydens. Lawrence was born in Swan Lake, MB and lived his teenage years in Holland, MB. At the age of 19 he went to work in Norwich, ON on tobacco farms for two years and then moved to Winnipeg. He upgraded his education and seven years later was hired on by Siemens Building Technologies for 29 years until he retired in 1996. Lawrence was a very dedicated employee. With his work he travelled to many job sites throughout Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. Lawrence and Mariette enjoyed travelling and made many memorable trips to Europe, especially Oedelum, Belgium, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Florida, California, Texas, Phoenix, Cuba, British Columbia, the Maritimes and their casino trips with Embassy Tours. Lawrence was a member of the Belgium Club and spent many hours volunteering at Kermis Week, Folklorama and Monday night bingo. Lawrence had a talent and passion for working with his hands, a talented carpenter who never hesitated to lend a helping hand. There was nothing that Lawrence could not fix. In his retirement years he discovered a love for woodcarving, a hobby that he quickly excelled at. He spent many hours at Les Gens de Bois carving club, where he would teach classes and help others with their carvings. His wooden boots were a hit and a popular choice for beginners to work on. After his carving club on Tuesday evenings, Lawrence loved to have coffee with his carving buddies at Tim Horton's. He was also a member of the Prairie Canada Carvers Association where he became the raffle ticket salesman champion . He spent countless hours demonstrating carving and raising funds for the association. His loons that he carved, especially his miniature loons, were exquisite, but his most prized carving is that of a gorgeous river otter, a carving that he has won many blue ribbons for. Lawrence always showed a great deal of patience with his carvings, making sure that he paid great attention to detail which always resulted in a wonderful piece of art. Lawrence had a great love for nature. His cottage at Clearwater Bay, Lake Of The Woods was very special to him. He spent many wonderful hours at the lake boating, water skiing bird watching, planting trees, wood carving and having a shot on the deck. Before his diagnosis he was looking forward to another summer at the lake. The family extends their sincere appreciation to Dr. Doermer and staff at N3 West, Concordia Hospital for their extraordinary care and compassion. In accordance with his wishes, cremation has taken place and a memorial service celebrating Lawrence's life will take place on Monday, September 12 at the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 425 Rosseau East, Winnipeg at 7:00 p.m. A private family interment of the Lawrence's cremated remains will be held at a later date at the St. John Berchmans Parish Cemetery, Holland, MB. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Lawrence's memory to Brain Tumour Research, in care of Canadian Cancer Society, 193 Sherbrook St., Winnipeg, MB R3C 2B7. We love you, we'll miss you and we'll remember you always On line condolences may be made at www.budz.ca Budz Funeral Service of Holland, Manitoba in care of arrangements 526-2380, 825-5207, 1-866-526-2606

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 10, 2005