William Joseph Lawrence, III

July 21, 1975 - April 17, 2023

William Joseph Lawrence, III, 47, passed away at his home in Annapolis, MD, on April 17, 2023. His humor, compassion, wit, unconditional love for family and friends, and kindness will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

Bill, as he was known to friends, was born on July 21, 1975, to Carol and William Lawrence, Jr., in Washington, DC, and lived in Crofton, Maryland, until his family moved to the Round Bay community in Severna Park, Maryland when he was 5 years old. Bill enjoyed growing up in Round Bay and was especially fond of the community beach on the Severn River. He attended Jones Elementary, Severna Park Middle School, and Severna Park High School (1993). Bill graduated from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts (1997), where he majored in Creative Writing. Bill worked for McCaffery and Associates as a Legal Researcher for the past 18 years.

An avid reader with a capacious memory, Bill had a true gift for writing, capturing details that were both relatable and profound. He was funny and witty, often quoting movie lines and accurately relating them to situations. Bill was a humble man who downplayed his many talents, and a wise man who was happy with simple pleasures. He was a generous and caring friend who nurtured and cherished his friendships, many of which stretched over decades.

The constant in Bill's life was his love of family. He was a devoted son to Carol and Bill, and a caring younger brother to Anne and Katie. He cherished his nieces and nephew and loved being an uncle to Anne and Curtis' children Caroline, Charlotte, and Tristan, and to Katie and Mark's girls Megan and Erin. Uncle Bill was always the "fun uncle" who would play for hours with the kids at every family gathering, making up games that included all the cousins. Bill gave the most thoughtful, and sometimes wacky, gifts to his nieces and nephew for every birthday and Christmas. He was also a master Easter egg hider for the annual egg hunt. Bill always supplied a huge assortment of appetizers for every family gathering, including his legendary Reuben dip. He was kind and loving and very generous to his family and friends.

Bill is survived by his parents Carol and Bill Lawrence, his sisters Anne Lawrence and Katie Munson, his brothers-in-law Curtis Hovey and Mark Munson, his devoted nieces and nephew Caroline Lawrence-Hovey (24), Charlotte Lawrence-Hovey (20), Tristan Lawrence-Hovey (16), Megan Munson (20) and Erin Munson (17).

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, June 25, 2023, at noon at Quiet Waters Park (Blue Heron Center) in Annapolis. The family invites those who would like to support one another in our time of grief to join us for the service and a luncheon as we honor Bill's life.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the following charities can be made in Bill's honor:

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

https://donate.nami.org/fundraiser/4669702

or

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)

https://supporting.afsp.org/campaign/Memorial-Fund-for-Bill-Lawrence