Marie Lawson

At 31, she packed their belongings and their 2 boys into a 49 Ford and a 24’ trailer house and navigated for her husband in a caravan to Alaska. A favorite memory is seeing her throwing a rug under the tire trying to get traction up the snow-covered mountains. The rug would shoot down the hill as the Ford chugged up a ways and she would run down the mountain to get the rug, run back and do it again.

When her husband died the next year, she worked full-time raising her 2 rowdy sons, trying her best to help them grow to be men she could be proud of. It was nip-and-tuck for a while but she succeeded admirably, she believed.

In her 50’s she provided a safe haven and permissive environment for her grandkids while her sons were learning to be parents by on-the-job training. At the same time, she still worked full time at FAA Technical Library and cared for her bed-ridden mother at home until her death. When her 2nd husband got sick, she brought him home and cared for him until his death. As her grandson said, “She devoted her life to caring for others”.

Everyone who had contact with her in her declining years was thankful for her warm, friendly, non-demanding personality. Her one obsession did surprise us every time it surfaced. “I want my gum” was not a request. It was a demand and we laughed and got her gum.

She spent her last year being cared for by her younger son and daughter-in-law who provided her with great food and companionship. Their hours spent watching Lawrence Welk and eating ice cream was a perfect way to wrap up a life well spent.

Mom was predeceased by her parents, all of her 5 siblings and a granddaughter. She is survived by 2 sons, a step-son, 4 grandsons, 6 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren.

We thank all of the management and staff of Village on the Park for their assistance, good food and accommodations during her stay.