Mike Lawrence Obituary

LAWRENCE (Brown), Mike
September 16, 1943 - November 13, 2025

"Victor Romeo Victor,
you are cleared for take-off."

Airborne contingent waiting to greet him- son Michael (1965-1968), daughter Irene (1967-1998); father Frank Lawrence (1921-1944), mother Dorothy Ready (1923-1976), stepfather Harry Brown; brothers David, Lyle, and Scott Brown.
Departures zone waving goodbye-Susan Doyle Lawrence (m. 1964); son Gary Lawrence (Charlotte), Gary's daughters Jocelyn and Monetta; Irene's son Michael Willems; sisters Denise (Tom), Colleen (Paul) and Valerie (Dale); brothers Harry (Sheila), Roger, and Steven (Pam); many nieces and nephews and cousins; countless friends and teammates; zero "bosses".
Like many in his "Silent Generation", and as the oldest of ten, Mike navigated a turbulent first few years of life. Amidst the changing Saanich landscape and rapidly expanding family, he forged enduring qualities of resilience, leadership, and finesse, earning the trust and admiration of his younger siblings. As a child, he had a penchant for adventure and construction, particularly for homemade vehicles of increasing speed and variety, with much less emphasis on safety features, brakes, or permits. Go-carts, motorbikes, boats, and eventually road-worthy vehicles were his calling card, and he was adept at designing, building, and fixing all types of mechanical contraptions. Mike's mischief was well known, but the clever antics of this rapscallion were grounded by his mentorship of, and dedication to, family.
With his subsequent marriage and growth of his own family, Mike led a spirited life through several careers, always hard-working, adept, and steering miscellaneous vehicles including tractors, tugboats, and Cessna aircraft. He troubleshot with a combination of courage, intelligence, insight, stubborn resolve, and cursing. His hard work was met with even harder play, particularly fastball and billiards. He built multiple homes, captained many teams, helmed leagues, obtained patents, but more important to him, he established enduring friendships and achieved well-earned respect. Mike was known for his toughness, savvy, and spirit. His wry and acerbic wit masked a deep-rooted passion for excellence; when challenged, he responded with fearless determination and intensity. He spread colour through his pastimes as well, whether playfully picking at a banjo or guitar, fuming over BC Lions football, or tackling projects on the homestead. Through times of both love and loss, those close to Mike also know the tenderness underneath his tough exterior.
In his senior years, Mike remained a bastion of wisdom and leadership. His youthful encounters with wolves, storms, and adversaries were replaced by less dangerous pool tournaments and lobster dinners. He was able to explore his home of Vancouver Island in his final months, including travels by land, sea, sky, and scooter. Mike's family roots still run deep-the Lawrence, Brown, and Ready families, characteristics of which he both embodied and defined, are all proud to claim him as a bastion of fortitude and friendship. So now, Ready or not, there he goes….

A celebration of Mike's life will be held on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at 2:30 pm at Esquimalt Gorge Pavilion, 1070 Tillicum Road.