Donald E. Lawson

Donald Lawson, 91, of Princeton, formerly of Tiskilwa passed away at the St. Clare Medical Center in Princeton on August 22, 2023 with his children Judy, David, and David's wife Peggy by his side.

Donald was born on January 13, 1932 in Rock Island, Illinois and became the only child of Thomas and Bess Lawson. His first home was in Searl Ridge, then moving to Tiskilwa when he was 3 years old. When he was younger, he was a member of Willow Springs Church in Tiskilwa. He attended his first 8 years of school attending at Morris One Room School in Tiskilwa. Donald then attended Tiskilwa High School where he graduated in 1950. He joined the Methodist Church in Tiskilwa in the 1940's, where he held various positions over the years. He was a Sunday School Teacher where his future wife was one of his students, Carolyn Carson. They were married on July 22, 1956 and enjoyed 54 years of marriage, until Carolyn passed away in May of 2011. He and Carolyn were some of the first members of Tiskilwa Ambulance Service. Donald helped lay the foundation for the Willow Springs Cheese Factory, where his father was their first customer to sell them milk. He started working at Piggly Wiggly and Harper Wyman after High School. He took a leave of absence when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1952. He received an honorable emergency discharge in 1955 when his father became ill and he had to take over the family farm. After the military he returned to work at Harper Wyman, and over the years had various different jobs. He started working at BF Goodrich in Henry in 1966, retiring in 1996. After retirement, he returned to work at Goodrich as a security guard. Donald started his own business of Lawson Lawn Mowing which he continued until he was in his 80's. He was a 60 + year member of the American Legion, where he held various offices. Also, Donald was a member of the Tiskilwa Lion's Club and helped with planning the original Pow Wow Days.

They were the parents of 4 children, Judy Mattern, of Tiskilwa; Paula Lawson, of Hallendale Beach, Florida; David (Peg), of Mendota; and Robert, of Princeton. He is also survived by their grandchildren, Eric, Jennifer, Rachel, Michael, Katie, Tyler, and Zachary; great grandchildren, Mckynna, Bentley, and Brooklyn.

 A visitation will be on Monday, August 28, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Grant- Johnson Funeral Home in Princeton. A memorial service will follow the visitation at 11:00 a.m., also at the funeral home. Burial will be on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. in Mount Bloom Cemetery in Tiskilwa. Military rites will be accorded by the Princeton Veterans Group. Memorials will be directed to the Tiskilwa Historical Society for upkeep of the veteran memorial markers and flags on the Mount Bloom Cemetery Fund.