Obituary of Nathan Alan Lawrence

Nathan Alan Lawrence was born to Patty and Curtis Lawrence August 17, 1990 in Nampa, Idaho.

He was as blond as a child could be and required long drives in his car seat to fall asleep. He spent his childhood “finding” kittens in mailboxes, crashing his bicycle, scrapping with the neighborhood kids, fishing the canals, and eating all of Grandma Beverly’s tomatoes. To the disappointment of Grandpa Alan, the cherries were never safe either. He and his siblings and cousins were thick as thieves and there was no shortage of shenanigans for them to find. As a child, he dreamed of becoming a soldier and protecting the people he loved.

As a teen, Nathan and his cousin Toni hogged the landline phone for hours. You could always count on Nathan to listen without judgment and to be his authentic self. He spent two years at Homedale High School, before changing to schools following a long period of painful migraine headaches that plagued him until recent years. He was an avid reader and waited hours in line for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows release in July 2007.  At 21, after watching President Barack Obama tell the nation Osama bin Laden had been killed in May 2011, Nathan made the decision. It was time to enlist. 

Nathan joined the US Army and proudly served as an 11 Bravo infantryman at Schofield barracks in Hawaii. During that time, he served as a sawgunner in his unit and was known for being a hard charger and always lending a hand. He answered to the names “Battle” and “Larry” and found his chosen brothers there.

After returning to Idaho, he met Tana Wood in October of 2016. She proved to be the love of his life and the fall for both was quick. They had three whole dates before moving in together, eight whole months before getting engaged, and were married in February of 2017. It was a private ceremony in the Boise foothills by the city's only abiding dudest priest. The following January, Nathan became a father. He spent most of that first year home with Benjin soaking in all the snuggles, changing diapers, giggling and napping with his new baby boy. Shortly after, Nathan worked with Eagle Peak tree services owned by their friend Evan. Nathan worked hard hauling and balancing cut tree branches. One particular day, he  found himself flying 20 ft through the air when a branch was far bigger than he was. When the weather turned, Nathan took a job at Sigler. There was no shortage of complaints about the work, but Nathan clearly loved to hate it and found meaningful friendships with his coworkers and customers.

The pandemic hit and the world went home, except for Nathan. Deemed an essential worker, he continued to grow at Sigler and through great perseverance and luck, Nathan and Tana were able to buy a home in Caldwell just before his second son Townes was born. Nathan loved gaming and having the boys fall asleep in his lap. Nathan loved to bake and made the best bread, chocolate chip cookies, french toast, biscuits, and a majority of the boys’ birthday cakes. He was proud of the life he had built and his role of husband and father. 

He was obsessed with Pokemon and could tell you the name and region of all 1,025 of them. He loved video games. His favorites were Borderlands, Pokemon, and he frequently played Call of Duty with his cousin Tyler. Nathan’s favorite memories were camping and fishing up at Silver Creek and it was known to be his favorite place on earth. Nathan’s favorite meal was steak and tomatoes. He was a private person, mostly a quiet person but always observing and analyzing. He chose carefully who he loved and how he spent his time. If you were one of them, then you were someone special. 

To our eternal sadness, Nathan succumbed to his battle with depression the afternoon of January 11, 2024 at the age of thirty three. In death, he joins his beloved grandmother Beverly Lawrence, Ruth Wells, and his favorite dog Recese. He left behind his wife, Tana Wood, his sons Benjin and Townes Lawrence. His Father and Mother Curtis and Patty Lawrence, Brothers AJ Lawrence, and Robert Brandt. His sisters Jenny Bennet, Cortnie Bertagnolli. Nieces and nephews Evan and Josh Brandt, Casey Willson, Olivia and Kaitlyn Bennett, Corbin, Leighton and Walker Lawrence. His cousin-siblings Tyler, Gage, Toni, Lulu, Jenna and a community of friends and extended family who cared for him. Nathan was dearly loved and will be forever missed.