Lawrence Watkins - Our Dear Friend

Lawrence Watkins - Our Dear Friend

It is with great sadness that I create this blog entry as we have learned of the passing of our beloved OVGRS member, Lawrence Watkins

Lawrence played an integral role in the OVGRS family.

He was a creative talent, a "doer" and a mentor to us all.

Joan, Lawrence's bride of many years, mentioned to me one day that it was rare to find photos of Lawrence with a smile and she was thrilled to see a few "rarities" that I had managed to take!

More often, Lawrence was deep in thought considering notions that could improve the railroad in order to make it function even better than it already does.

Lawrence will be remembered as a deep thinker.

There were times when the group would assemble for a session and be pleasantly surprised to see a new facility or track area that Lawrence had devoted his time to work on very quietly between sessions.

A wonderful example of his craftsmanship and attention to detail!

Never one to seek recognition, this humble man was loved by all.

He was a great mentor to me as I learned new skills simply by spending "quality time" with this fine gentleman.

Yes, Lawrence could laugh and offer up a wry smile with that wry sense of humour of his.

A private man, Lawrence did enjoy the camaraderie and family feeling found in Fred's backyard.

Lawrence was never afraid to get down and dirty when work at ground level was required.

When new folks joined the group Lawrence would crew with them and offer helpful advice due to his total familiarity with the railroad.

His creativity abounded as noted in this "hand dispenser" car he created out of a convention tank car...which came in useful during the pandemic.

Before a number of body ailments and illnesses developed, Lawrence was a robust worker - often outlasting all the others of us in the Workday Wednesday crew.

But...he did find some time to relax - for a brief moment or two.

He enjoyed the laughter found around the crew lounge.

Whenever Lawrence spoke, we all listened to his words of wisdom.

Never one to sit idle, he always had something else up his sleeve that would make gains for the railroad.

Lawrence, it was always fun having you in the family!

Sharing meals with a good friend.

Yes, even sharing smiles with good friends!

I will miss you dearly.

We will all miss you dearly.

Your memory will live as we continue to gather and to appreciate your humility, your caring and compassionate nature, your creative ideas and most of all, your friendship.

Sometimes I had to be a "stealth" photographer to get an image of this fine looking gentleman!

Rest in peace dear friend.

Our greater OVGRS family will always cherish our special moments spent with you.

Hi Mike,

Sorry to hear about the passing away of Lawrence.

If you are sharing the condolence messages with the family or creating the blog post, I would like to share this message.

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I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Lawrence Watkins. Although my interactions with him were brief, his warmth and approachability left a lasting impression on me. Even in our limited encounters, it was evident that he possessed a genuine kindness and a bright smile that lit up the room.

While I may not have known him as well as others, I wanted to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family during this difficult time. Losing someone who radiated such positivity is truly a loss for all who knew him, and I can only imagine the impact his presence had on those closest to him.

May you find comfort in the cherished memories you shared and in the love and support of those around you. Please know that my thoughts are with you. 

With deepest sympathy,

Dilip

Thanks Mike for the blog. Lawrence will surely be missed by all of the OVGRS family. Even last season when he wasn't doing so well he managed a few visits with his latest addition ie: buildings and such for all of us to share. Rest in peace Lawrence. Condolences to Joan and family.

Marcel

Mike - thanks for letting us know. It is very sad to lose another of our group. Lawrence was a real gentleman and will be sorely missed.

Malcolm

Thanks for passing this news on Mike.

Lawrence was quiet but always willing to help me when I asked.  

He gave me advice on how to build a locomotive carrying case, a loading ramp to get the locomotive in and out of the case, and so much more. 

He was such a great guy.

RIP Lawrence. 

Pat Brennan

Sorry to receive this sad news.  Thanks, Mike, for the lovely tribute!  Lawrence will be missed by all of the group but his memory will live on forever!  Condolences to Joan and his family from Ed and I.  RIP Lawrence.

Diane and Ed

We will all miss Lawrence, such a central member of our group!  I offer heartfelt condolences to Joan, to Lawrence's family, and to all who knew and loved him.  May he rest in peace.

Johnny ChuffChuff & Noelle

As a "recent" addition to the OVGRS Gang, I feel lucky to have known Lawrence for the time that I did. It was special to be able to discuss the matters of our garden railway group with him and to admire the work he did for us all. He was an artisan and everything he did was special. He will be missed.

Rest peacefully, Lawrence and thank you for honoring us with your presence.

Robin

I first met Lawrence about 2005 when he became a regular participant in the ops sessions and the maintenance crew of the IPP&W.  In those days the workday Wednesday crew summer and winter consisted of host Fred, Paul Norton, the late Ralph Dipple, Lawrence and myself.  Lawrence from the beginning took on the hard work tasks such as building stone retaining walls.  In winter he collaborated on the building of many of the structures still seen on the IPP&W today.

Lawrence became a very good friend.  I served as a mentor and teacher while he learned the RailOp program for freight car forwarding.  He eventually took over from me dealing with the narrow gauge ops sessions.  He held down those duties until his failing health forced him to give it up and Dilip Chinnakonda graciously succeeded him.

Lawrence was the creator of the famous Blockhouse building which he built to celebrate one of the American Invasions.  He also built many other structures including the Rat Portage station now undergoing some renovations.  

Lawrence also built and presented to me as gifts two special structures.  One was a shed for storing dynamite for a quarry on my own railroad.  Last summer as Lawrence's health was failing I brought that building back to him and it now has a place on the IPP&W.  The other structure he gave to me was a beautiful truss bridge built from aluminum. That bridge has a place on the main line of the Northland Railroad.

As everyone agrees, Lawrence was a gentleman in every sense of the word.  I will never forget the time he and I spent together working on various projects for the IPP&W.

Regards ... Doug Matheson

Lawrence was a beautiful man. He was kind and thoughtful.  I always admired his calm nature. I enjoyed our conversations. 

Moe 

This is a great loss to our group.  Lawrence was for many years a leading member, if not the leading member, of the Workday Wednesday group.  As has been said, Lawrence was a very quiet and humble man, and many might not have been aware of how much he contributed to maintaining the trackwork and hardscape on the layout.  If there was ever any question of how to do something, Lawrence was the man with the answers.  He was right in there doing the work too, until his health issues intervened.  Lawrence also contributed several very fine structures, including the coal trestle just last year.  As well of course Lawrence also arranged the narrow-gauge operations for a number of years.

Through my involvement with the Workday Wednesday group, I had the chance to get to know Lawrence and to learn a lot from him about all aspects of large scale.  Although Lawrence was very quiet, he did have a dry sense of humour that came out when you got to know him.  I had many great conversations with Lawrence and will miss that opportunity.

Pat Brewer 

Thank you for sharing that sad news Mike,

My first time at Fred's many years ago was during the "American Invasion" and Lawrence was one of the first people that I met.  I immediately sensed his gentle spirit and amazing knowledge of the trade of garden railroading.  Never a complaint, but always a smile and kind remark.  He was a first class gentleman.

Barry

I was saddened to hear of Lawrence's passing as we often talked not only of the railway but also RC sailboats.  One day during a conversation I mentioned the impact that a Professor at Algonquin had on my son, so much so that not only had he graduated from Algonquin but had been inspired to continue his education and go on to also get his degree from Carleton University. I did not know Lawrence had taught at Algonquin and the sudden change in him was immediate - he was very proud  of this. The next week Lawrence presented me with an aviation themed clock. We had learned a lot from him - the teacher was never far away. He will be missed.

Steve

Thank you, Mike for letting us know and for organizing such a lovely tribute to a lovely gentleman.

My sincere condolences to Joan.

Both Joan and Lawrence were always so kind and patient with me and the children when we would visit the IPP&W and I will never forget that. Lawrence’s incredible talent shines in so many places throughout the railroad and it is a real gift to us that his various creations will be a part of us and continue to bring a smile to our faces as we marvel at the detailed structures every time we visit. Thank you, dear friend, and rest in peace.

I wonder if we could dedicate a Saturday, or indeed this whole 2024 season, as a special tribute to Lawrence’s memory.

As a relative newcomer to the group, I thank everyone for sharing their memories of Lawrence. I have appreciated learning more about this kind and wonderful gentleman.

Thank you, Mike, for finding that photo of the convention tank car. During COVID I had ordered a set of those “hand sanitizer tank cars” for the IPP&W as I thought it was befitting to commemorate that period in our history when the focus was all on sanitization and health measures. But clever Lawrence, he actually converted the tank car to a real-life operating sanitizer dispenser! He took what I initially thought of as a little tongue-in-cheek humour and made it real (some have pointed out his unique sense of humour). 

Creative, practical and fun: that’s how I’ll remember Lawrence.

Mark

I was very sad to hear of Lawrence's passing.

Many times he helped explain things to me, a newbie at large scale railroading.

I had the opportunity to work with him on Wednesday workdays.

Whether he was building new structures, repairing retaining walls or just track maintenance, he strived to improve the railway.

When I started to build my outdoor railway he gifted me two large bridges.

I will always think of my mentor Lawrence as we pass trains over his bridges.

George Wellington

Sorry to learn of Lawrence's passing . My condolences to his family . I always marveled at the many iterations of his craftsmanship which he so willingly shared with us !  R.I.P Lawrence!

Sid Selver

Was away in Newfoundland since Thursday for a very busy Easter weekend (Julian calendar), returned yesterday, but only today noticed Mike's sad news (and all responses) in my SPAM folder (!). 

So sorry to hear that Lawrence has passed away. I admired his dedication to this wonderful garden railroading fellowship that we share. It was a privilege to know him. He will be in my prayers.

(Fr.) Andrew Onuferko