Brother John Lawrence, OSF, passed away on Nov. 18. 

He was born in New York City on Sept. 22, 1947, the son of Joseph and Irene Dawson. 

He attended grammar school at Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians in Woodside. He then attended St. Francis Prep, North 6th Street, graduating in 1965, and entered the St. Francis Novitiate in Upper Brookville on July 5, 1965. 

Brother John received the Habit on Jan. 1, 1966, and professed first vows on Jan. 7, 1967. 

He was next assigned to the Brother Columba Reilly Scholasticate in Brooklyn Heights and attended St. Francis College, graduating in 1971 with a BA in French and a minor in Spanish. 

In 1976, he earned an MA in secondary education, specializing in French and Spanish, from Adelphi University, and began teaching at St. Anthony High School on Long Island. During his tenure at St. Anthony’s, Brother John also taught at Chaminade High School (1979-1980) and St. Francis Prep (1980-1981). 

Brother John served as moderator for many sports, clubs, and associations. Among these were the track teams through which he began the very first St. Anthony’s Track Invitational, basketball moderator of the famed 1974 New York State High School basketball champions, and the Mothers’ Guild from 1986 to 2012. 

He was inducted into the St. Anthony’s High School Hall of Fame in 1999. 

After suffering a stroke during Hurricane Sandy (2012), he was a resident at Maria Regina Residence under the care of Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood, as well as many caring and dedicated lay administrators and staff. 

Brother John Lawrence has influenced generations of students as their master teacher and respected mentor. 

This past October, Brother John, together with his family and friends, was blessed to celebrate his 60th anniversary of religious life in the chapel at Maria Regina. 

The wake and funeral Mass were private.