Lawrence R. Poker (Pokrzywinski), 93, of Kenosha, passed away on Wednesday, October 30, 2019, at Froedtert South Kenosha Campus.
Born in Milwaukee, on July 16, 1926, Lawrence(Larry) was the son of the late William and Mary (Romanowski) Pokrzywinski. A lifelong resident of Milwaukee, he was educated in local schools and graduated from Messmer High School where he held sports records for many years and earned many awards. He was a swift six-foot hoopster earning multiple 1st team All-Conference player awards, led the league in scoring his senior year, and set an all-time Catholic basketball scoring record of 43 points in one game. He also helped his team capture the season title in his senior year. In 1999, Larry was inducted into his high school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
On April 11, 1953, he married Geraldine Ellen Framke and enjoyed 52 years of marriage. Geraldine(Jeri) preceded him in death on May 5, 2005.
Larry joined the United States Navy in 1944. Based upon his naval testing and background, he was accepted into the Naval Training School (Electrical) V12 program at Purdue University, an officer training and accelerated college instruction program. While taking military classes at Purdue University, Larry also played on the military basketball team and the Purdue University basketball team. He later was deployed overseas, sailing on a boat that protected the Admiral of the Navy. Following the military, he returned to Wisconsin to attend University of Wisconsin-Madison studying electrical engineering and played on the Badger basketball team from 1946-1949. While on the basketball team, the Badgers won the NCAA Big Ten championship, a feat that would not be repeated for 55 years until 2001-2. He graduated with his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering.
Larry was employed by Siemens in engineering sales for his entire career. He was a member of the Rivermoor Country Club where he golfed weekly with his wife for many years. He also was an avid member of the National W Club where he cheered on the Badger Basketball team as an alumnus.
Aside from his love of Badger basketball and golf, Lawrence enjoyed watching Wisconsin sports; his favorite teams included the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks, Milwaukee Brewers, and the Marquette Golden Eagles. Other interests included traveling with his wife and family, playing cards, following his grandchildren’s sport activities, and completing crossword puzzles.
Surviving Larry are his four children, Gene (Amy) Poker, Lynn Poker, Pamela Poker-Meichtry(Michael), and Paula Benitez; six grandchildren and one step grandchild, Zachary and Austin Poker, Jason and Jessica Meichtry, Erica (Gabriel) Benitez-Luna, and Kelly and Marah Benitez; four step great-grandchildren, Yazmin, Joaquin, Gabriel, and Emilio; and his furry best companion and guardian in later years, Tipper.
He is preceded in death by his siblings, Adrian Poker, Helen Svatos, and Lucille Semrau.
Services for Lawrence were held privately by his family.
Proko Funeral Home & Crematory
5111-60th Street
Kenosha, WI 53144
Phone: (262) 654-3533
Visit & Sign Lawrence’s Online Memorial Book At:
www.prokofuneralhome.com