Ellen J. Lawrence, 73, of Kenosha, passed away peacefully on May 6, 2014, at United Hospital System-Kenosha Campus surrounded by her loving family. Born in Milwaukee, WI, on January 13, 1941, she was the daughter of the late Robert J. and Minnie (Jacoby) Richards. She resided in Zion, IL, until 2012 when she moved to Kenosha to make her home. For over 20 years she was employed as a Bookkeeper for Burgess-Anderson & Tate in Zion and later at Ace Hardware until her retirement in 2008. Ellen was active with the United Methodist Church in Winthrop Harbor, IL, for many years. She most recently attended Lincoln Lutheran Center in Racine. Ellen loved gardening and feeding the birds. Surviving are her two children, William E. (Hillary Schenk) Lawrence of Kenosha and Laura (Michael) Darbro of McHenry, IL; her former husband, William E. Lawrence of Park Ridge, IL; a brother, Robert (Patricia) Richards of Racine, WI; a sister, Doloris (William) Gilgore of Winthrop Harbor, IL; and her grandchildren, Nicholas Alexander Schenk, Laura Lynn Schenk, and Ryan, Andrew, Kyle and Matthew Darbro. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, May 13th, at Proko Funeral Home from 3:00 p.m. until the time of the memorial service at 4:00 p.m.Proko Funeral Home & Crematory5111-60th StreetKenosha, WI 53144Phone: (262) 654-3533Visit Ellen’s Online Memorial Book at:www.prokofuneralhome.com