Lawrence Clancy, 89, passed peacefully at home on Feb. 10, 2021. He was born Jan. 13, 1932, in East Troy, to John and Marie “Muddy” (nee Philbin) Clancy.
He was the second youngest of five children Jean, John, Patricia and David.
Lawrence had a strong faith in Jesus and was the kind and gentle patriarch of his family. He had a deep love of his hometown and is known for his rich storytelling of East Troy lore, where he was a lifeguard at Booth Lake Public Beach, his grandfather was mayor, and his family owned the local hardware store.
A proud University of Wisconsin-Madison undergraduate and law alum, he cofounded Charne, Glassner, Tehan, Clancy & Taitelman. His long and distinguished legal career outlasted that firm as well as Cooke & Franke, with Lawrence working as a partner at Stafford Rosenbaum through 2019, when he was 87 years old and was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
He was also a leader in both his community and his church, serving on the Board of the Rotary Club of Milwaukee, the YMCA Camping Service Board, the St. James (Mequon) Parish Board (president), the Board of Brothers and Sisters in Christ Serving (BASICS) and the Mequon Board of Zoning Appeals.
Until his AML diagnosis, Lawrence lived an incredibly active life, swimming, biking and/or kayaking every day.
He fought AML with the same spirit that he lived the rest of his life. He was blessed and so grateful to find Dr. Timothy Goggins (hematologist/oncology specialist) and Dr. Rebecca Streit (hyperbaric medicine and wound care) who were willing to work him with new treatments and encouraged him to keep fighting. With the doctors’ help and the support of numerous caretakers (Mary Beth, Katrice, Gail, Shanna, Bree and others), he was able to almost defeat the insidious disease, all the time keeping his gentle wit and kind sense of humor.
Lawrence is survived by Nancy (nee Huettl), his loving wife of 60 years; children, Kathleen (Tim) Donlin, John (Christi), Colleen (George) Holliday and Mary (Scott) Smith; grandchildren, Drew, Kevin, Colleen and Sean Donlin, Olivia and Tim Clancy, Luke, Mark, David, Marie and Erin Holliday and Jacob Smith; brother, David (Myra); and beloved in-laws ,Sylvia Clancy, Bob and Patti Huettl and Claudia Huettl.
Visitation will be from 4 to 5 p.m. on Monday. Feb. 22, at Eastbrook Church, 5353 N. Green Bay Ave., Milwaukee, followed by a celebration of his life and entry into Heaven.
Memorials to Leukemia Research Foundations at allbloodcancers.org or Eastbrook Academy at eastbrookacademy.org/support are suggested.
A link to stream his services will be posted Monday at www.schmidtandbartelt.com.
Schmidt and Bartelt, Notbohm – Kreutzmann Funeral and Cremation Services, Oconomowoc, is serving the family.
