Carolyn Lawniczak's Obituary:

LAWNICZAK, Carolyn Sue, 68, passed away unexpectedly on August 28, 2007. Born in 1939 to Charles and Neva Couk in Plainwell, Michigan, Carolyn was above all else a devoted and loving daughter, friend, sister, cousin, niece, wife, mother, mother-in-law, aunt, great aunt, and grandmother. Married in 1964 to Jon J. Lawniczak, she bore and raised three sons, Brandon, Jon Jr., and Jeremy with patience and care. She doted on her grandchildren, Josephine and Duncan. She also leaves behind a brother, Charlie, and many other relatives she loved.

A high school cheerleader and honor student, Carolyn attended Western Michigan University and worked in various capacities throughout her life: in an ice cream parlor, a paper mill, as a legal office manager for her husband, Jon, and more recently, in both Michigan and Florida, as a gift shop salesclerk where she was also the best customer. In the 1970s, she was elected Treasurer for Atlas Township, Michigan, serving two terms. She volunteered much of her time to charity, tutoring children to read, working in the church Bingo, and in recent years delivering day-old bread with her husband to an Ocala soup kitchen.

Finally, the horses. First it was a Paint she rode bareback as a young girl, then a Pinto, and eventually many, many quarter horses with many, many saddles. With her husband’s unrelenting, support, she fed, watered, groomed, nurtured, exercised, rode, and loved them all. Over the years, she won many ribbons and trophies for which she was proud, but it was always her passion for the animals -- to be around them and to care for them -- that kept her at it. As a young girl, she announced she would “still be riding when she was forty.” She was still riding when she was 68.

A memorial service will be held at Hiers-Baxley Funeral Home located at 910 E. Silver Springs Boulevard in Ocala on Monday, September 3, at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please feel free to make a memorial contribution to Stolen Horse International, http://www.netposse.com. This organization was near and dear to Carolyn’s heart, as it provided tremendous assistance in the safe return of two horses stolen from her barn.

Regards,
Jeremy Lawniczak