Norma Rochie Whittington Lawes
Norma Rochie Whittington Lawes, Ph.D., 88, of Greenwood died on May 3, 2023, at St Dominic’s Hospital in Jackson.
Dr. Lawes was born in Centreville and raised in Waxhaw. She graduated from Gunnison High School in 1951 at the age of 16. She graduated from Mississippi State College for Women with a Bachelor of Arts in 1955 and from Delta State University with a Master of Arts in 1978, and in 1984, at age 49, she graduated from The University of Mississippi with a Doctor of Philosophy degree.
Rochie dedicated her life to teaching. While still a student, she taught patients at the TB sanitarium. After college, she taught programming for IBM for several years. Later in life, she taught English in the Cleveland Public Schools and also served as an adjunct instructor in the English department at Mississippi Delta Community College. Following her retirement, Dr. Lawes taught mathematics as an adjunct instructor for Mississippi Delta Community College.
She is survived by son Philip Lawes and his wife, Kimberly Lawes, of Greenwood; daughters Carole Lawes Sawada and her husband, George Sawada, of Birmingham, Alabama, and Sally Lawes of San Diego; grandchildren Jackson Garrett of Birmingham and Jacob Lawes of Greenwood; and sisters Betty Whittington Mullens of Nashville, Tennessee, and Nona Whittington Tindall of Atlanta.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Episcopal Church of the NATIVITY in Greenwood. Fr. Don Chancellor will officiate. Interment will follow in Shelby Cemetery in Shelby. Visitation will be from noon to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Episcopal Church of the NATIVITY.
Pallbearers will be Jacob Lawes, Jackson Garrett, George Sawada, Seth Wheatley, Lee Tindall, Whit Tindall and Bobby VanDevender.
Memorials may be made to the Shelby Cemetery Association, The Episcopal Church of The NATIVITY or a charity of the donor’s choice.
Greenwood Delta Funeral Home (www.greenwooddeltafh.com) is in charge of arrangements.
