Grace Irene Lawrence Obituary (1917 - 2018)

Grace Irene Lawrence (Wood) died on December 21, 2018 at Taylor House Hospice in Des Moines, Iowa. She was 101 years of age. She was known at Vintage Hills of Indianola Retirement Community as "Amazing Grace". Grace Irene Hyde was born on the family farm in Ackworth, Iowa, on February 21, 1917. She was the fifth of seven children born to Lulu and Joseph Hyde. Grace attended country school in Ackworth and was awarded the Des Moines Register Champion Speller Certificate on April 13, 1929. She graduated from Indianola High School in 1935. She was a member of Ackworth Friends Church. Grace's father died when she was 12 years old. From that time forward she worked on the farm until it was sold in 1974. She also worked for Drs. Nelson, Frasier, and LaMar in Des Moines until retirement. Grace married Jim Lawrence in September 1936. They worked the family farm together until Jim died in 1971. Grace moved to Indianola in 1974. Grace married Wally Wood on December 23, 1983. They lived together in Indianola until Wally's death in 2000. Grace continued to live in her own home in Indianola until she moved to Vintage Hills in July of 2014. Grace is survived by her stepchildren, Brian Wood (Kathy) of Canyon Lake, California, and Cheryl Wood of Austin, Texas, and her step granddaughter Stephanie Wood, currently living and working in Manhattan, New York. Grace is also survived by her niece Pat Webb of Des Moines, Iowa, and by many great, great-great and great-great-great nieces and nephews. There will be a celebration of Grace's life at Peterson Funeral Home in Indianola, Iowa on May 11, 2019 from 1-3 pm. Refreshments and appetizers will be available. Memorials may be made to Unity Point Hospice. Grace and her family wish to extend a special thanks to the staff of Vintage Hills, Unity Point Hospice Palliative Care and Taylor House Hospice, and also to Dr. Chris R. Jensen and his staff for their kind and attentive care.