Lawrence Oyler
Age - 84
November 14, 2023
Lawrence Edward "Doc" Oyler passed away on November 11, 2023 with family by his side.
Born on April 7, 1939 to John Vernon Oyler and Anna Marie Oyler (Slack), his trademark shenanigans started all the way back in Oak Hill, WV. A Fayette county kid with a Hollywood smile, he learned the value early on of the finer things in life, like a good backswing, a charming grin, and a beautiful gal. And beautiful gal he sure did find. During his sophomore year at West Virginia University, in the party room of the Phi Kappa Psi house, he met the girl who would go on to become the love of his life, the moon to his stars, and his devoted wife of 60 years, one Sherron Rumbaugh. He often reminisced about their first year of marriage, when he was finishing his final year of dental school and she was teaching school in a one-room schoolhouse in Morgantown and waiting tables on the weekends. He liked to say "We were broke and in love and felt like we were rich. We'd take Sherron's tips from waiting tables and go to Gene's beer garden and split a hot dog and a pitcher of beer. It didn't get any better than that. " Following dental school graduation, he was commissioned as a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy, and they were stationed at Cherry Point, NC. Cherry Point would be the backdrop to the birth of their first child, a son, John Carlton, as well as the setting for the formation of one of the tightest-knit groups ever formed, known as the Oyler-Randall-Feeney trio. The three couples bonded over base life, Vietnam deployments, and babies, and what resulted was a lifelong friendship and love that remains to this day, no matter the distance, and despite some of their original crew now gone.
In 1967, Doc and Sherron moved back to WV, and a few years later they welcomed their second child, a daughter, Sara Ann. Doc opened his dental practice in Vienna and practiced for 33 years. A beloved fixture in the dental community, he never turned a patient away. He was famous for bringing home bags full of zucchini at the end of a work day in the summertime, from patients who could only pay him in produce. Vienna was also the place where Doc and Sherron forged their next gaggle of lifelong friends. If
you didn't get the chance to grab 9 holes with him at PCC, a cold beer with him at the 19th St Country
Club, or a hamburger with him at Yielky's, well, what a shame. And this chapter of his story wouldn't be
complete, without also remembering the countless road trips, golf trips, and ski trips he took with his old
buddy Butch and their merry band of misfits. "We sure did have some good times" he would often say.
What an understatement.
When the retirement chapter of Doc's life led he and Sherron to a picturesque waterfront community in
Southport, NC, many worried, "How are they ever going to find friends as good as their beloveds in WV?!"
But if you're sensing a theme developing, you'd be right. Because the friendships they made on Long Bay
Drive and throughout St. James proved to become just as tight as each of the previous chapters in his
life. The love, care, and affection shown to Doc by his St. James friends, especially over the last few
years, was special in a way that defies words.
And while it's true that Sherron and his family and friends were definitely his first loves, his lifelong love
affair with the game of golf sure was a close second. He was an absolute student of the game. From
winning multiple club championships at White Oak Country Club alongside his mom (the legendary
Annie), to rubbing elbows with Sam Sneed at an invitational at The Greenbrier, Doc knew his way around
a golf course from an early age, and the sheen of the game never dulled in his eyes. If he ever took some
money from you on the golf course, consider yourself well-loved, and I'm certain you can picture that
ornery smirk right now. If he ever offered you an unsolicited lesson on the driving range, consider yourself
lucky, and I'm certain you're probably still using that tip he gave you about keeping your left arm straight.
Of all of his golfing partners, likely none compared to an outing with his son John. One of his sweetest
memories was a storybook father-son trip to Pebble Beach.
And to punctuate a life well-lived, is to bring the focus back to the utter joys of his life, his kids, John and
Sara, and his grandkids, Greg, John, Lisa, Anna, Tag, and Caroline. He loved them more than he really
had the words to explain. But his beaming eyes whenever their names came up in conversation, said it
all. He adored them. But let it be not overstated that the north star of his entire life, the sun around which
he orbited, was Sherron Rumbaugh Oyler. Over the course of 60 years of marriage, they became each
other's best friends. And when life started throwing a few lemons at them these last few years, their love
and devotion to one another only grew stronger. It was, quite simply, a once-in-a-lifetime love.
Lawrence is survived by his beautiful wife Sherron, son John (wife Rachel), daughter Sara (husband
Dave), grandchildren Greg, John, Lisa, Anna, Tag, and Caroline, and scores of much-loved nieces,
nephews, and grand nieces/nephews.
A funeral service will be held at St. Phillips Episcopal Church in Southport, NC at 2:00 pm on Tuesday,
November 21, 2023.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to First Tee - Coastal Carolinas, P. O. Box 1820, Shallotte,
NC 28459.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www. peacocknewnamwhite. com for the Oyler family.
Peacock - Newnam & White Funeral and Cremation Service, Southport, North Carolina.Show more
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