Mark E. Lawrence

MARK EDWARD LAWRENCE PORTLAND – Mark Edward Lawrence, 79, died peacefully in his sleep on June 9, 2025 at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough, Maine. He was born on September 9, 1945 in Savannah, Georgia, the son of the late Frank Arnold Lawrence, Jr. of North Lubec, Maine, and Helen Victoria (Mroz) Lawrence or Worcester, Massachusetts. Mark’s parents brought him as an infant to his father’s hometown in North Lubec; a couple of years later they all moved to Rockland, Maine, where Mark grew up with his brother Myles. He graduated from Rockland District High, School Class of 1963; he enjoyed serving as co-editor of the high school yearbook, treasurer of the Future Teachers of America, and member of the All-State Chorus and Knox County Music Festival all four years. Mark earned his bachelor’s degree from The College of the Holy Cross and his master’s in library science from Simmons College. He spent his career as a professional librarian at Boston Public Library, University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Roxbury Community College (RCC) and, briefly, at Southern Maine Community College. He was most gratified by his twelve years at RCC, where he became Library Director and enjoyed rich collegial relationships, supported a diverse student body, expanded the library’s resources, and stimulated the donation of over 100 pieces of original art to help beautify the college campus. In June 1978, Mark married the late Rita Ann Cicchese of Weymouth, Massachusetts, a graduate of Bridgewater State College and an active member of the Paulist Center in Boston. In 1980, they welcomed the birth of their son David. Mark was a devoted father to Dave through his graduation from Medford High School and in the years beyond. In 2013, Mark married his late-in-life “sweetie pie,” Lauress Louise Wilkins, a member of the religious studies faculty at Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts. The following year, the couple, followed by son David, moved to Portland, Maine, where Mark enjoyed taking courses (especially Shakespeare’s Historical Plays) and offering them (War and Peace for Troubled Times, and a workshop on the climate crisis) at University of Southern Maine’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Mark was a voracious reader (mostly non-fiction: history, social and natural sciences, and spiritual and physical health), with a respectable smattering of Jane Austen and John Grisham rounding out his sizeable personal library. He loved frequenting local bookstores, libraries, and ice cream shops; chatting with neighbors as he tended his unwieldy garden; and walking, snuggling, and sneaking too many treats to his beloved goldendoodle Teddy. Mark is survived by his wife, Lauress (Wilkins) Lawrence and son, David Cicchese Lawrence, of Portland; his brother, Myles S. Lawrence and his wife Denise of Fallbrook, California; and beloved family and friends in New England and beyond. The family is deeply grateful to the staff of MaineHealth Medical Center in Portland, whose compassion and affection for Mark and his family far exceeded medical treatment, and to the staff at the Gosnell House, who gently eased his passage from this life. All who are able are invited to a Celebration of Mark’s Life on August 23, 2025 at 11am at A. T. Hutchins Funeral Home, 660 Brighton Avenue, Portland. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may make donations in Mark’s memory to the Portland Public Library at https://www.portlandlibrary.com/.

Mark E. Lawrence

September 9, 1945 - June 9, 2025

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