PITTSFIELD – Evelyn P. Lawrence, 90, died peacefully on Sept. 25, 2021. She was born on Oct. 14, 1930, in Exeter, to her much beloved parents, Lester and Vera (Simpson) Palmer.

Evelyn grew up on a farm in Exeter, alongside siblings, Edith, John and Carl. On the farm she learned the value of hard work and formed a strong work ethic that never left her. She might pick potatoes from morning until night one week and hunt and trap with her father the next week. It was also on the farm where Evelyn started sewing. She often would tell of making her sister dresses with no pattern and how they always fit her like a glove. Evelyn attended Corinna Union Academy, graduating in 1949, where she established many lifelong friends. After graduating she move from Exeter to Corinna, and eventually opened her first business, Lawrence’s Flower Shop.

In 1963 she moved the business to Pittsfield where she arranged flowers for numerous weddings, funerals, holiday parties, and everyday events. During that time she started carrying wedding dresses, eventually deciding that weddings would be her full time business. Evelyn moved Lawrence’s Bridal Shop to a storefront in Waterville in 1976. Years later, thinking she would slowdown, she moved her business back to Pittsfield. She never did slow down, selling wedding dresses and sitting behind her sewing machine until she broke her hip in February of this year. Evelyn would want you to know that if you were one of her brides, you were her favorite bride.

Evelyn’s parents preceded her in death along with her siblings and spouses, Edith (Lee) Stone of Garland, John (Betty) Palmer of Washburn, and Carl Palmer of Exeter. She is also preceded in death by niece, Jayne Stone.

She is survived by son, Lester “Mick” Lawrence and his wife, Nancy, of McAlpin, Fla.; and daughter Marie Lawrence-Hadley and her husband, Stephen, of Seattle, Wash.; grandchildren Elise Hadley and her husband, Christopher Henderson, of Charlottesville, Va., and Margaux Hadley also of Seattle; sister-in-law, Loraine Palmer of Exeter; niece, Joanne Prescott and her husband, Peter, of Dexter, along with several nephews. Special thanks to Evelyn’s good friend, Katie Yando and the staff at Sanfield Rehabilitation.

A graveside service will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2 at Morse’s Corner Cemetery, Exeter Road, Corinna. Rev. Bill Johnson of the First Baptist Church in Pittsfield will preside. Messages of condolences may be left at http://www.shoreynichols.com.

Care has been provided by Shorey-Nichols Funeral Home, Pittsfield.

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