Lawrence Leyson Rosales

Lawrence Leyson Rosales – October 21, 1925 – April 28, 2020. 

Lawrence’s (AKA: Larry or Poppy) journey to the United States began in his birthplace of Cebu City, Philippines.  He was the oldest of eight children and they lived a very modest life on a beautiful island surrounded by beautiful sand and seas.   But it was a hard life living in the Philippines at that time, so at the young age of 17, he enlisted in the US Navy from the Philippines.  His first ship was the USS Taconic and they docked in Norfolk, VA on April 1, 1947.   His life as a US citizen began, and from there, he would go on to serve the military for 30 years in total (20 in the US Navy and 10 in the Fleet Reserve).  He served during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.  He received six distinguished honors:  WWII Victory Medal, National Defense Service Metal, United Nation Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, China Service Medal and Good Conduct Medal.  To say, he traveled the world would be an understatement and although he didn’t even finish high school, he was more educated, by experience, than most college history professors.  To his children though, he was our Dad.  A gentle, humorous, and good-natured man.  He was fiercely protective of his two girls, Lisa and Vicki and that protection extended to his only granddaughter, Jenna, when she was born in 1990.  Jenna called her grandfather, “Poppy” so eventually everyone started referring to him as Poppy too.  He was always happy, smiling, and optimistic about life.  When he heard a beat, you could count on finding him dancing with some 1 – 2 punches in between.  He loved Maryland and all it had to offer.  He was grateful for what he accomplished in his life and that mostly included the family he built.  He was thrilled to see all his girls marry such strong devoted smart men.  He would always say, “I have two Jeff’s and a Marty now”.  He always said he wanted to live until 100 and it looked like that would happen until COVID 19 took his life in just 6 short days.  The world lost an honorable man to this evil pandemic, but it will never take away our fond memories of this kind man who we called, Poppy.  He is our hero, the best father, grandfather and father-in-law you could ever want.  With so much love in our hearts, we write this tribute to a wonderful man who is now our angel in heaven.    

There will be a "Safe Distance Public Viewing" in the front Atrium at The Candle Light Funeral Home on Monday May 4th from 1pm-3pm.  Please drive through the front circle at the Funeral Home and remain in your automobile

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