Ruth Lawrence was a woman of few words.

She would respond “yes” or “no” to questions, tell visitors “hi” and “bye,” say “chocolate”  her favorite thing  and “paper.”

Lawrence had a temper, too. She was known to pinch or poke occasionally to get her point across or communicate displeasure.

But most of the time, “Ruthie” was a sweet, smiling presence who loved to be around others and hug people.

Lawrence, a 56-year-old woman with Down syndrome who died June 1, meant the world to Denise Gibson.

“I loved her. It was a very dear friendship,” said Gibson, a Lawrence woman who is training coordinator for the Topeka-based Children’s Alliance of Kansas.

Gibson served as Lawrence’s legal guardian from 1995 until she died at LakeView Manor, 3015 W. 31st St., from complications of Alzheimer’s disease and other medical problems.

On June 29, Gibson and the staff of LakeView Manor planted a redbud sapling and installed a bird bath at the nursing home in memory of Lawrence, who enjoyed nature.

Member of the family

Gibson was more than a friend to Lawrence. She also had a more formal relationship with her, serving as Lawrence’s legal guardian.

A legal guardian is a court-appointed volunteer who guides the direction of care and gives legal consent for people who  for reasons of mental or physical disability  are unable to make important decisions for themselves.

Being a legal guardian means shouldering a great deal of responsibility for the quality of another person’s life. But nowhere in the job description does it say the court requires a legal guardian to form deep emotional bonds with the person in his or her care.

That’s where Gibson went above and beyond the call of duty.

Lawrence, born in Concordia in 1945, didn’t have any family living nearby. So Gibson made up for that.

“Ruth would just go with me on weekends and holidays. She went to our family reunions. We went on trips together. She would go home with me and enjoy it,” she said.

Gibson knew Lawrence before she became her legal guardian. Gibson was director of a home, run by Community Living Opportunities, where Lawrence lived. Gibson worked for the organization from 1990 to 1993. After she left her job there, she stayed in touch with some of the residents  especially Lawrence.

When Lawrence’s health declined to where she needed a legal guardian, Gibson’s co-workers asked if she would consider volunteering for the role. The process took about six months.

Lawrence moved to LakeView Manor in the summer of 2000, where she could receive greater care as her Alzheimer’s progressed.

Advocate and friend

Gibson is the kind of legal guardian candidate that the Kansas Guardianship Program is looking for.

“Besides all the legal components, what we are seeking in a volunteer is someone who is willing to be an advocate or a voice for a person who has no one to do that and may not be able to speak for themselves,” said Laura Dickinson, a recruiter and facilitator with the program.

Established in 1979, the state-funded program has about 800 volunteer legal guardians across Kansas. It is based in Manhattan and has satellite offices in Wichita and Kansas City, Kan.

Volunteers like Gibson are offered a $20 monthly stipend to reimburse them for small out-of-pocket expenses like stamps and gas. The program does extensive background checks and references before matching a volunteer with a person needing a legal guardian.

“A guardian from our perspective is someone who is willing to be an advocate, a voice, a friend. Ruth knew that Denise was going to be there, and Denise was. She was with her when she died,” Dickinson said.

Volunteers don’t need law degrees or years of working in the field of human services in order to be a legal guardian.

“All you have to do is care,” Gibson said.