Minnie Frances Hodges Lawrence

Mrs. Minnie Frances Hodges Lawrence, 77, of 982 Prison Camp Road, Dobson, passed away Friday, December 8, 2006, at her home. Mrs. Lawrence was born June 6, 1929, in Surry County, to the late Howard Norman and Minnie Edna Calloway Hodges. Frances and her husband, Henry Davis Lawrence, owned and operated Mountain View Dairy Farm for many years. She was a charter member of the Good Neighbor Extension Homemakers Club and was a lifetime member of New Hope Baptist Church. During her faithful years of service to the church, she served as choir director for 40 years and church clerk. She is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Melinda and Rickey Cornett of Dobson; a son-in-law and spouse, Jerry and Joanne Whitaker of Mount Airy; a special niece and spouse, Sandra and David Calhoun of Dobson; three grandsons, Sidney Davis Whitaker and Steven Wayne Whitaker, both of Mount Airy, and Bryson Lawrence Cornett of Dobson; a granddaughter, Jennifer Marie Calhoun of Dobson; two sisters and a brother-in-law, Elaine and Bill Marion of Dobson and Joan Bowman of Pilot Mountain; and a brother, Robert Brian Hodges of Lowgap. In addition to her parents, Mrs. Lawrence was preceded in death by her husband, Henry Davis Lawrence; a daughter, Lori Davis Whitaker; a sister, Eloise Hiatt; and three brothers, Clayton Hodges, Hildred "Jack" Hodges, and Sidney Joseph Hodges. The funeral service will be held Sunday, December 10, 2006, at 2:00 PM at New Hope Baptist Church. The service will be conducted by the Rev. Kermit Gray, and burial will follow in the New Hope Baptist Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends Sunday afternoon in the church sanctuary following the service. The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, memorials should be made to the Piney Grove Baptist Church Playground Fund, c/o Garnett Beasley, 1626 Old Highway 601, Mount Airy, NC 27030, or to the New Hope Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, P.O. Box 955, Dobson, NC 27017. Moody Funeral Services in Mount Airy is serving the Lawrence family.