03/24/2026
Lawrason Riggs Sayre
October 19, 1927 to March 22, 2026
Lawrason Riggs Sayre passed away peacefully at home at Waffle Hill Farm on March 22, 2026. He lived for 98 vibrant years raising a tightly knit family with his wife Jane, teaching respect for the land, causing lighthearted trouble, and loving his neighbors. He rarely met a stranger and never forgot a face, name, or story.
Lawrason was born on October 19, 1927 in Baltimore, MD to Marie (Riggs) and Robert H. Sayre III. His love of farming started early as he grew up on Leighton Farm in Bel Air, MD, raking hay with his parents’ team of horses and riding his pony around the county. His early education was completed at the Calvert School, Gilman School, and Pomfret School (CT). He graduated from Yale University in 1950 with a degree in Civil Engineering. While at Yale, he played lacrosse, rowed, and played football. Yale lacrosse took him across the Atlantic (by ship) on a tour of England to play against Oxford and Cambridge, and in 1950 he was selected to play in America’s North South Lacrosse game.
Lawrason was a proud United States Marine. After graduating from Yale, he joined the Marine Corps Reserves and went on to serve his country in Korea, earning the rank of Captain. He was a lifelong supporter of veterans’ services, especially the Wounded Warrior Project.
After his return from Korea, he embarked on his career as a civil engineer with Modjeski and Masters Consulting Engineers in Harrisburg, PA. While there, he worked on the construction of the Walt Whitman Bridge in Philadelphia, PA and inspections of the Hudson River bridges. Although his career as an engineer was relatively short, he approached the rest of his life with an “engineering mind,” always planning and creating improvements around the farm, or often during kitchen table discussions.
It was also in Harrisburg that he met the love of his life, Jane Herman. They married in April 1953, remaining the truest of partners until her death in 2011. In 1960, Lawrason decided to return to farming and bought a farm in Churchville, MD. So began Waffle Hill Farm – named for Jane’s famous Sunday morning breakfasts.
At Waffle Hill, Lawrason became a lifelong cattleman and pioneer of sustainable farming. While his equipment changed over decades of farming, he could be found mowing the back fields well past his 97th birthday. Lawrason started with 20 commercial Angus cattle and, in partnership with his sons, grew the performance-based program to 300 registered Angus. He was an active member and leader of the MD Angus and Cattlemen’s Associations, was inducted into the American Angus Heritage Foundation, and served on the board and as president of the American Angus Association. In addition to his farming honors, Lawrason was awarded numerous local, state and national land stewardship, environmental stewardship, and conservation awards, including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s 2006 Conservationist of the Year Award alongside his son Ned.
Lawrason was deeply involved in his agricultural community and passionate about the preservation of farming in Harford County. In the 60s and 70s he could often be seen driving a trailer of calves or ponies to his children’s events, then he continued as a 4-H leader and livestock judging coach, creating a positive impact on the lives of children far beyond his own family. He was a member of the Harford County Soil Conservation District, Harford County Farm Bureau, and Harford Planning Advisory Board, and he attended meetings of the Harford Land Trust until the final weeks of his life. He was named a Harford County Living Treasure in 2023.
Lawrason’s truest love was his family. When not working on the farm, he was cheering his children – and later grandchildren and great-grandchildren – on from the stands of lacrosse, field hockey and soccer fields across the county. Ever the daredevil, he could be found in the winters shining the tractor lights down the back hill for sledding and skating parties. Summer vacations were spent in Westport Point, MA, at the homes of his parents and siblings, where he could relax, build sandcastles, body surf, and eat lobsters. He was deeply devoted to his wife Jane; even as early-onset Alzheimer’s stole her memories of him and their children over the final 10 years of her life, he cared for her and was by her side every day.
Throughout his decades in Harford County, Lawrason was a pillar of the social scene. In the 1970s, Jane and Lawrason formed a dinner club with other local couples that met monthly and formed friendships that transcended generations. He was a devoted member of Holy Trinity Church in Churchville, MD, where he served as treasurer, lay minister, and member of the vestry. Even after he semi-retired from working on the farm, he was rarely found at home during the day - instead, he could be anywhere from getting breakfast at the Ballpark Diner or lunch at Broom’s Bloom Dairy, watching the Amish teams plow the fields in Lancaster, investigating a new construction site, having dinner with family, or visiting his lifelong friends and neighbors.
When he was at home, Lawrason loved to host dinner on the back hill or just sip a glass of wine and watch the sunset. He could entertain a crowd with his textbook memory of family history, Harford County history, and many life stories, but equally loved to sit back, listen, and eat a good steak.
He was predeceased by his wife Jane Herman Sayre, son Edwin “Ned” Sayre, parents Marie and Robert Sayre III, brother Robert Sayre IV, and sister Harriet Noyes. He is survived by his children Lawrason (Elizabeth) Sayre, Jr., Nancy Ann Sayre (Michael McGuirk), and Sally (Don) Carnohan; grandchildren Zachary (Alexandra) Sayre, Michael (Kelly) Sayre, Annie (Michael) Clarke, Tyler (Christina) Van Deusen, and Margaret McGuirk; nine great-grandchildren; many step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews; and countless dear friends who felt like family.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Holy Trinity Church (Churchville) or Harford Land Trust.
Visitation at McComas (Abingdon) Saturday, March 28, 1-3 PM and 5-7 PM. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.
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