Lawrence Offner Jr.

Lawrence Offner, Jr. age 82 years, passed away on Friday, June 29, 2018.  Lawrence was a native New Orleanian and provided for his family as a Carpenter.  He is predeceased by his parents, Lawrence Offner Sr. and Theresa Louise LeBlanc, a sister Maryanne Boyd, his daughter Marilyn and grandson Jimmy Mac.  He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Lois, six living children, Lisa, Lawrence III, Kirby, Karilyn, Stanford, Shannon, Kirby Bass, daughters-in-law Carla, Cheryl, and Joycelynn, sons-in -laws Troy and Anthony, 17 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren, his sisters, Christine, Doris, Theresa, and brother Michael. As one of Jehovah's witnesses of more than 70 years, Lawrence's faith in Jehovah's kingdom and the hope of a resurrection for those have passed was real and he often shared encouraging bible scriptures with anyone who would listen.  He was raised in the truth along with his 4 sisters and brother and baptized at age 12 in the year 1948.  Later he along with his wife, passed knowledge of the truth to his 7 children, who became baptized members of Jehovah's Witnesses themselves. Many remember Lawrence as a skilled Carpenter.  He used his knowledge to train many young men in the construction trade and had the honor of working on many kingdom hall building sites from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. Lawrence was an avid fisherman like his father and enjoyed sharing his delicious fried seafood with his family and friends.  He had a fantastic singing voice and his favorite musicians were Sam Cook, Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole and James Brown.  His legacy is his family and he enjoyed a house full of laughing kids in the end. Words of wisdom from Lawrence Sr. and Lawrence Jr.: “Teach a man to fish and he will feed his family for a lifetime   “Teach a man to build  and he will shelter his family for a lifetime” “Teach a man to pray and he will lead his family to everlasting life”  “Blockie”  as he was affectionately referred to by family members came to him as a  joke because of the way his hair was cut and because of his stubbornness!  A family member keenly noticed that his hair style was square-like, making his head look like it was shaped as a cinder block, therein the moniker “Blockhead”, which later became “Block”, then later changed more affectionately to “Blockie” by his daughter-in-law. Lawrence was a proud man, who lived his life simply.  He spent the remainder of his life in Covington, LA., and built his home there.  He will be deeply missed!  Thank you, family, friends and invited guests for your support and empathy at this difficult time.  Please share with us your fond memories of Lawrence. Bagnell & Son Funeral Home, Covington, LA in charge of arrangements.