Obituary of Caryll Lawrence

Caryll Stanton Lawrence (affectionately known to many of his family and friends as “Lawrence” or “Poppy”) died on Friday, March 10, 2023 in Reston, Virginia.  He was born on April 29, 1944 in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies, to Oliver and Enid (née Warner) Lawrence who had three other children: Gloria, Greville (deceased), and Oliver Jr. (“Junior”). Lawrence was the oldest of the three boys.

In his twenties, Lawrence left Trinidad to pursue better opportunities, arriving in Brooklyn, NY where he became a permanent United States resident. Lawrence attended the Delehanty Institute to study drafting. He did drafting work for a few years only to discover that sitting in an office was not for him. He then became a construction inspector — an occupation he greatly enjoyed.

On August 31, 1985, Lawrence married Joan Jacqueline Smith in Queens, NY. Their wedding song, “Solid As A Rock,” by Ashford and Simpson certainly predicted the nature of their union. In pursuit of a better quality of life and job opportunities, he and Joan left NYC and eventually settled in Reston, VA. 

There, Lawrence continued his work as a construction inspector, overseeing a variety of public works projects in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area. He was a dedicated and valued employee for all the construction companies which had the good fortune to employ him. His recent manager described Lawrence as one of his most well-liked and dependable employees. 

Lawrence lived life on his own terms, embodying the lyrics of one of his favorite tunes, “My Way,” as sung by Frank Sinatra. Lawrence was very handy and he enjoyed doing home improvement projects and maintaining his cars. He also appreciated listening to different types of music — contemporary R&B, to Bob Marley, to calypso, soca and steel pan from his native Trinidad. He celebrated his Caribbean heritage in many of its other forms, too: he was known to savor his fresh mangoes and coconut water!

It really was the simple things for him — Lawrence was most happy spending time with family — whether for special holiday dinners or just watching pay-per-view boxing. He derived so much joy from those experiences.

Lawrence is survived by his loving wife of 38 years, Joan, his sister Gloria, his brother, Junior, his sister-in-law Velma, his twin sons, Derrick and Daryll, his daughters-in-law, Lathosha and Catherine, his son Nigel, his daughter, Monique, his step-children, Hashim and Jamillah, his brother-in-law, David, his sister-in-law, Lystra, as well as a host of grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins in the United States and Canada.

Forever remembered. Forever missed. Forever loved.