Lt Col Lawrence grew up in Grand Rapids Michigan and graduated from West Catholic High School in 1992. After completing his freshman year at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Lt Col Lawrence transferred to Oklahoma State University (OSU), earning a degree in Communications in 1996. It was during his college years that Lt Col Lawrence met his future wife where they wed on May 11, 1996.
In November of 1998, Lt Col Lawrence began his distinguished career as an officer in the United States Air Force (USAF). For over 20 years, Lt Col Lawrence faithfully served our nation where he excelled in every assignment handling some of the most expensive and sophisticated weapon systems in the USAF arsenal. Lt Col Lawrence began his operational USAF career as an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Combat Crewmember at Minot AFB, North Dakota. During this assignment, Lt Col Lawrence was responsible for the combat employment of ICBM nuclear assets on alert. Because of his technical expertise and superb leadership, Lt Col Lawrence quickly rose through the ranks at Minot AFB where he was promoted to Captain and was assigned as a Flight Commander with the 741st Missile Squadron. In this position, Lt Col Lawrence found his calling of providing daily mentorship and instructions to junior officers. It was also a monumental assignment as Lt Col Lawrence and his then wife gave birth to their two sons . After Minot AFB, Lt Col Lawrence was assigned to Vandenberg AFB, California as a Space Operations Officer and worked at the 1st Air and Space Test Squadron. In this position, Lt Col Lawrence directly helped with the testing and launch of the nation's largest and most powerful rockets, which were used for missile defense and to put sensitive U.S. Government communications and imagery satellites in orbit. True to his calling, Lt Col Lawrence obtained his dream follow on assignment where he was competitively selected to be an English Instructor at the highly prestigious United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. During his time at the USAFA, Lt Col Lawrence was beloved by students and staff as he shaped the initial careers of future USAF leaders. By the end of his USAFA tenure in 2011, Lt Col Lawrence was promoted to Major and was transferred to Fort Meade, Maryland where he was assigned to the National Security Agency (NSA) and the newly formed United States Cyber Command. Lt Col Lawrence's technical savvy and leadership was put to the test as he was involved in extremely sensitive cyber operations while also helping build the first-ever unified command dedicated to cyber warfare. His hard work paid off as Lt Col Lawrence achieved the rank of Lt Col and subsequently returned to Colorado Springs for his final USAF assignments. This final stop included an assignment at Air Force Space Command on Peterson AFB, CO which has now become the home of the newest military service--United States Space Force. Lt Col Lawrence finished his career in 2018 doing what he loved the most, educating minds and developing future USAF officers.
Well regarded throughout his career, Lt Col Lawrence was an incredible friend, mentor, and teacher. All who knew him recognized his love for his family and country, passion for sports and OSU football, sarcastic humor, wit, and gift for teaching. Prior to his USAF retirement, Lt Col Lawrence and Kara amicably divorced whereupon Joe returned to his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan, to be close his family.
Even as his health was failing, Lt Col Lawrence maintained close relationships with his sons and the rest of his family, including close friends from school and the Air Force. All who knew him will miss him dearly as well as his grammar lessons on Facebook, his caffeinated witticisms, and his willingness to help friends and family – either by burning a ribeye, endlessly proofreading, or simply being a good friend, brother, son, and father.
Surviving are his two sons, mother and stepfather, father and stepmother, three siblings, many aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.
The family will greet friends Wednesday from 6-8 pm at the Bliss-Witters & Pike Funeral Home, Cedar Springs. A memorial mass will be held Thursday 11:00 AM at St. John Paul II Catholic Church, Cedar Springs. Rev. Fr. Lam Le celebrant. Interment Friday 11:30 AM at Fort Custer National Cemetery, Augusta. Memorial contributions may be made on behalf of his children, Calvin and Owen Lawrence.