Douglas Mark Lawrence

Douglas Mark Lawrence was born October 20, 1959 in Jerome, Idaho to Ralph and Beverley Lawrence. He departed this world on June 28, 2025 at St. Luke’s Hospital in Boise, Idaho.

Doug grew up with his older brother, Alan and his younger sister, Kerry. Doug’s family moved a few times in his growing up years, living in Shoshone and Idaho Falls, Idaho, then moving to Nyssa, Oregon and finally to Portland, Oregon, where Doug lived until he moved to Boise, Idaho in 1983.

Growing up Doug loved hanging out with friends, riding bikes, playing music, skiing at Mt. Hood, making model airplanes, drawing cartoons, painting pictures and making people laugh. Music was a significant part of Doug’s life from early on, as his mother was a professional violinist and involved her children in her music. Doug played piano and cello in grade school. When he attended Central Catholic High School, Doug chose to play trumpet. He loved playing the trumpet and found fellow band members who were enthusiastic and committed like he was. Their high school band won several competitions. For Doug, the focus of high school was the trumpet, band, and one other subject he discovered: theater. He acted in several musical plays in high school, including Once Upon a Mattress, The Music Man, and Stalag 17.

Doug moved to Boise and attended Boise State University, where he studied music composition, piano, cello, and trumpet. He played in the Boise Philharmonic Symphony orchestra for 37 years. Doug was involved in a wide range of venues as a musician. He played with many celebrity musicians and orchestras that came through the Boise valley. He also played in Mariachi Sol de Acapulco, and then founded his own mariachi band Alma de Mexico in 2010. Doug created other outlets for putting his musical abilities to work, as in doing many projects in audio production and audio engineering, and videography.

As a group tour escort for Classic International Journeys, Doug made several trips to China and also travelled to Russia.

Doug married Tonya Wofford in 1998, becoming step-father to her toddler son, Austin, whom he adored. In 1999, the couple became parents of a daughter, Tara Ann, the joy of Doug’s life. The marriage ended when Ann was very small, which was a great sadness.

Doug taught many students over the years on a variety of instruments. A common observance of his students was that he didn’t just teach them to play their instruments, but he taught them life lessons.

In the late 1990’s, questions about God, Jesus, and the Bible kept arising, so Doug decided he needed to look into these matters and to seek out the truth. A fellow Symphony musician and pastor recommended that he read the book, “The Case for Christ.” Doug wasn’t enthusiastic about reading the book and waited a long time to do so. He finally decided to read it, thinking that all the flaws in the reasoning would be apparent and easy to dispute. After reading through once, he didn’t feel he’d sufficiently refuted the premises of the book, so he started reading it again. When, for the second time, he was reading through the account of the resurrection of Jesus, he suddenly stopped, distraught, saying to himself, “It’s true. It’s all true. Everyone is going to think I’ve gone off the deep end.” He knew, “It’s all true” meant the Bible is true. His sin was real. And his need of a Savior was real. He couldn’t dispute it anymore. For the rest of his life, Doug was growing to know Jesus more and was studying and investigating to understand and live out the truths of the Bible.

On June 7 of 2009, Doug married Lisa Raybourn after a three-year courtship. Doug would often say, “I married Lisa because she laughs at my jokes.” Doug and Lisa enjoyed each others’ company. Doug would take Lisa with him wherever and whenever he could, be it to a concert or other gig, on a road trip, or a shopping trip. Occasionally, when apart from Lisa, he would comment to a companion,“I miss my wife. It’s time to go home.” Doug became step-father to Lisa’s son Michael. Doug, skillfully and steadfastly, took up the role of being Dad to a, then, 15-year-old boy with Asperger’s Syndrome.

Doug enjoyed humor, and he loved to make people laugh. Doug had a way of connecting and collaborating with other people. Be it contracting an orchestra or producing a project of his own, Doug was very capable of putting together a team that made the project successful.

Over the years, Doug’s focus gradually shifted from his life being centered around music, to his greatest desire being to study the Bible and preach and teach. Doug said that if he passed on soon, “Tell everyone I’ve passed from the green room to the main stage.”

Doug is survived by his wife, Lisa; step-son, Michael; daughter, (Tara) Ann; father, Ralph and step-mother, Audrey; mother, Beverley; brother, Alan; sister Kerry Philpot and brother-in-law Dennis Philpot; five step-siblings; and many other close blood, -in-law, and step relatives.