LAWRENCE JAMES SEBRING

Wasilla resident Mr. Lawrence James Sebring, 76, died of cancer at his home Oct. 19, 2003.

A memorial service will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at Immanuel Baptist Church, Mile 1.25 Trunk Road in Palmer. Pastor Paul Weimer will officiate. His ashes will be scattered at his favorite place in Hatcher Pass at a later date.

Mr. Sebring was born July 4, 1927, in Wayne, N.Y.

He graduated from high school in upstate New York.

Mr. Sebring became a resident of Alaska in 1967. He built a home and lived in south Anchorage for nine years. In 1976 he built his Valley home where he resided until his death.

In younger years he shared responsibilities on the family farm in upstate New York until he went to work for Corning Glass Works in Corning, N.Y., where he worked for four years.

He worked for Taylor Wine in Hammandsport, N.Y., for 15 years.

After moving to Alaska, he worked for the Army-Air Force Exchange Service from 1967 to 1970, traveling extensively throughout Alaska as a carpenter.

Mr. Sebring began Sebring Builders, a family owned business, as a custom home contractor and equipment operator. He later designed and built the Trinity Barn Plaza in Palmer until his semi-retirementâ when he became a school bus driver for the Mat-Su Borough School District for the last 12 years.

Mr. Sebring had been a member of the North Urbana Baptist Church in New York, Grace Baptist Church and Dimond Boulevard Baptist Church in Anchorage and Immanuel Baptist Church in Palmer.

Mr. Sebring was a Boy Scout Master and had received numerous bus driver awards of appreciation for his joyous service to so many Valley children.

His interests included traveling from coast to coast with his wife and family, reading, woodworking, restoring old cars, flowers and gardening, his beloved canine companions and raising game birds.

The family wrote, "His wife Mona was blessed with everlasting loving memories of 57 years of marriage together. He had big shoulders and arms to embrace life with adventure and hard work, big hands to hold us all close together, and a big heart filled with generosity, kindness, humor and love to everyone in his presence."

He was preceded in death by his parents James and Celia Sebring, infant daughter Linda, his brother John and his grandson Jeremy.

Mr. Sebring is survived by his wife Mona Jean Sebring; son and daughter-in-law Roger and Kathy Sebring; daughter and son-in-law Carol and Wiley Robinson; grandchildren John Sebring and his wife Iva, James Sebring and his wife Penny, Linda Gonzales and her husband James and Joe Sebring; great-grandchildren Lieghan, Jay-Ci and Vienna Gonzales and Taylor and Caela Sebring, his extended family and many friends.

Memorial contributions may be sent to Hospice of Mat-Su, 3051 Palmer-Wasilla Highway, Palmer, AK 99654-7234.

Arrangements were made by Valley Funeral Home & Crematory in Wasilla.