Laurine Garrison

Funeral services for Laurine Garrison, age 91, of Sulphur Springs, will be held at First United Methodist Church, at 2:00 p.m., Monday, June 8, 2009, with Dr. Don Renshaw and Russell Floyd officiating. A graveside service will be held at Pecan Gap Cemetery, at 5:00 p.m., Monday, June 8, 2009, with Ed Pickard, Cade Garrison, Rick Garrison, Grant Garrison, Greg Lavender, Mark Leyerle and Mike Mason serving as pallbearers. Visitation will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Sunday, June 7, 2009, at Murray-Orwosky Funeral Home.
After a brief illness, Laurine Pickard Garrison passed away Friday, June 5, 2009. She was born to Laurence and Laura Ross Pickard in 1918. She graduated from Pecan Gap High School in 1934 and received two degrees simultaneously from TWU in 1938, a B.A. in math and a graduate library degree. In 1953, she received a Master's Degree in English and speech at ETSU. Laurine taught kindergarten through college, but most of her teaching has been in high schools at Cooper and Sulphur Springs. She also coached debate, one-act play, and all other UIL speech contests for 30 years. Her students won national and state contests. After her retirement from public education, she continued to teach students of all ages in her home. Both students and family will remember her for her sense of humor, her intellect, and her wise counsel.
Survivors include: two daughters, Sharline Freeman and husband, Weldon, of Pecan Gap; Sharee Renshaw and husband, Scott, of Allen; son, Richard Garrison and wife, Sherron of Bryan; brother Marshal Pickard and wife, Billie, of Raymondville; sister, Marie Kerr and husband, Homer, of Arlington; brother-in-law, Roy Garrison and wife, Lois, of Mesquite; eight grandchildren, Shannon Leyerle and husband, Mark, of Spring, Greg Lavender and wife, Laura, Kelly Mason and husband, Mike, all of Dallas, Rick Garrison and Amy of University Park, Grant Garrison of Ventura, California, Renee Renshaw of Allen, Bridgett Renshaw of Los Angeles, California and Nicole Renshaw of Allen; nine great-grandsons, two great-granddaughters, many nieces, nephews and a host of friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, Thel Garrison, her husband of 56 years, brothers, Laurence Edward Pickard and wife, Amalie and Charles Pickard and wife, Sammye.
Her love of her family and her church characterized her life. In the Methodist Church, she was a Sunday School teacher, church historian, chairperson of the Commission on Education, certified lay speaker and vice-president of the North Texas Conference. She was named Woman of the Year by the Business and Professional Woman's Club. Along with her husband, Thel, she was a long-time member of the Development Council of Baylor University.
Memorials may be made to the Pecan Gap Cemetery Association, P.O. Box 27, Pecan Gap, Texas 75469