Patrick Joseph Lawler
February 20, 1944 - August 5, 2019

Patrick Joseph Lawler, age 75, of Ames, passed away on Monday, August 5, 2019 at his home in Ames. Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 :00 A.M. on Saturday, August 10, 2019 at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Ames. Friends may call from 5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. on Friday, August 9, 2019 at the Adams Funeral Home in Ames, where there will be a Prayer Service and time of sharing held at 7:00 P.M. Burial will be in the Ames Municipal Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Adams Funeral Home and online condolences may be left for Pat's family at www.adamssoderstrum.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Pat's name may be directed to Heartland Adult Day Center, 205 S. Walnut Ave., Ames, Iowa, 50010. Patrick was born in Carroll, February 20, 1944, to Ray and Elsie Lawler. A 1962 graduate of Wall Lake High School, he excelled in football, basketball, track and baseball. He attended Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Education in 1966, while playing football and baseball. He later completed his Masters' Degree in Administration from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. In 1971, he married Susan Lane and they raised sons Kevin and Brad. A popular and engaging teacher and coach, he enjoyed a 35-year career in the Sioux Rapids, Grinnell, Ames and Des Moines school systems. He was the assistant coach on Ames High School's 1976 Boys State Basketball Championship team and returned later as a volunteer on the 1991 Ames State Champions. He was also an assistant boys' basketball coach with five Des Moines Hoover state teams including the 1998 runners-up. He coached state champion throwers and place winners at Grinnell and Ames High's highly successful boy's and girl's track teams. After retiring in 2004, he returned to help develop young athletes as a freshman baseball and football coach. He was recognized by the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association for his assistant coaching talent, and this fall he will be inducted into the Ames High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Patrick was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Phillip and his sister Maureen. He is survived by his wife Sue, sons Brad and Kevin (Kam), brothers Dan (Fern), Jim (Trish) and sister Mary Jo Lynch (Dick) plus many nieces, nephews, friends and neighbors.

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