Virginia P. (Dinny) Lawrence of New Canaan, Conn. died Nov. 17 at Norwalk Hospital. She was 88.

She was born on June 25, 1934 in Scranton, Pa., the youngest of the three children of George and Gertrude Peck. She spent her childhood on a gentleman’s farm with her sisters — Martha Peck Burgess and Janice Peck Patterson — in a rural suburb of Scranton known as Waverly. The Peck family summered every year at the family home on the bluff at East Chop.

She attended The Waverly School and studied at Bucknell University before moving to New York city in 1956 to pursue a career in retail. There she met her future husband, Albert E. Lawrence Jr. of Yonkers, N.Y. After an April wedding in 1957, they started their life together in Bronxville, N.Y., then moved to Port Chester, N.Y. and, in 1965, to New Canaan. She raised her three sons — Albert 3rd, Geoff and Chris — in New Canaan and spent the rest of her life there.

Dinny’s life was full and she forwent her career in favor of raising her family. In addition to her husband and the three boys, the household’s population reflected her lifelong passion for animals. There was an ongoing parade of springer spaniels, cats and, to this day, a flock of chickens. She was an avid tennis player and played regularly at the Lake Club in New Canaan and the East Chop Tennis Club on the Vineyard.

Summers on the Vineyard were especially dear as they provided an opportunity to reconnect with lifelong summer friends and extended family. Beach picnics, gatherings on the porch and dances at the East Chop Beach Club contributed to a lifetime of memories for not only her but the rest of the family as well. Five generations of the family can call the Bluff House their summer home — a cherished legacy not soon forgotten.

Dinny led a life of quiet dignity, humble and unpretentious virtues and rock-solid values. More the quiet observer than the target of the spotlight, she surrounded herself with loyal friends, family and the people she held dear. She found her strength in her faith and the people she loved. She gave each person a piece of her heart in return.

She is survived by her sons Albert and his wife Susan of Denver, N.Y., Geoff and his wife Elizabeth of Monroe, Conn., and Chris of New Canaan; her beloved granddaughters Carolyn Lawrence of Burlington, Vt., Anna Lawrence of Salt Lake City, Utah and Meaghan Lawrence of Boston; and several nieces and nephews and their families.

She was predeceased by her husband Al, her parents and her sisters Marty and Janice.

Her memorial service will be held at the First Presbyterian Church of New Canaan on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023 at 12 p.m.

For online condolences and directions, please visit www.hoytfuneralhome.com.