Lawyer selected as 2025 Good Neighbor
By Samantha Goff
Grant Tribune-Sentinel
Longtime Grant resident and community volunteer Ronda Lawyer has been named Perkins County’s 2025 Good Neighbor, an honor bestowed by local peers in recognition of her decades of service and dedication to the community. She will lead the annual Perkins County Fair Parade this Saturday as part of the celebration.
“I was confused and humbled when I found out,” Lawyer said with a laugh. “There are so many others doing great things. But I’m thankful—I really am.”
Lawyer moved to Grant with her late husband Garry in 1977, when the couple purchased the NAPA parts store in town. They ran the business together for over 30 years before selling it in 2008.
“I wasn’t really old enough to retire yet,” she said. “So I went to work at the co-op during harvest, running the scale. I really enjoyed it—it had to be precise, and I’m very much that way.”
Originally from the Broken Bow area, Lawyer credits a higher power with leading them to settle in Grant. “Garry’s parents were in Paxton, and one day he walked in and told my dad to stop remodeling—because we were going to quit our jobs and buy a parts store. And that’s exactly what we did.”
Over the years, Lawyer has left her mark on nearly every corner of the Grant community. She’s served as president of both the Grant Rotary and Chamber of Commerce—roles she modestly insists she accepted because “no one else would do it.” But her impact says otherwise. She was instrumental in launching several now-beloved community traditions, including the Chamber Fair Breakfast and the Fourth of July park festivities.
“To go to the park and see people having a good time—that’s my reward,” she said. “That’s why I do it.”
Her list of volunteer commitments is long: from helping with Vacation Bible School at Zion Lutheran Church to working at the senior center, the thrift store, and organizing dinner theater events.
“I had one week where every single day, sometimes twice a day, I had somewhere to be,” she recalled. “But I love it. It gives me a reason to get out of bed. Otherwise, you start getting moldy.”
Lawyer credits her parents for instilling in her a lifelong commitment to service. “They were both volunteers. I just followed their lead.”
While she is reluctant to use the word “proud,” she says she’s grateful to still be healthy and active enough to give back. “You get out of a community what you put into it,” she said, offering advice for younger generations. “There’s a job for everyone if you just look for it.”
As for her role in the fair parade, she’ll be riding in a special blue convertible—a surprise gift from her husband, who found it online after she spotted a similar one years ago at an auction. “He apologized because it wasn’t red like the one I saw, but I told him I love the blue even more,” she said, smiling.
Lawyer’s favorite part of the county fair? “The food,” she admitted without hesitation.
This Saturday, the community will get a chance to celebrate the woman who’s spent nearly five decades quietly and consistently lifting others up.
“I never would’ve guessed I’d end up in a small town like this,” she said. “But I’m so glad we did. I’m blessed to be here.”