Judge Lawson, 73, never quit the job he loved
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Even at 73, Judge John Lawson loved his work too much to retire completely. So it seemed in character that when he died, he was on his way out of a courthouse.
Mr. Lawson, to be honored at a memorial service at 1 p.m. today at Redmond United Methodist Church, had presided over district courtrooms throughout King County for more than 20 years after working 20 years as Redmond's city attorney. He died of a heart attack Thursday (Dec. 27) after an afternoon session at Aukeen District Court in Kent.
"I asked him many times, 'Why don't you retire? We could hunt and fish more often,' " said close friend Robert Sollitto, 77, a former Redmond police chief. "But he would always say that he liked what he was doing."
Mr. Lawson's professionalism and his regard for people were signatures of his work on the bench, Sollitto said. "He was very good at it, always very fair. If someone was in front of him for a first offense, he would bend over backward to give the guy a second chance."
Through childhood and college, Mr. Lawson prepared himself to take over the family's pea farm and cattle ranch in Skagit County. In 1950, he graduated from Washington State University with a bachelor's degree in science and agriculture.
He served two years in the Korean War, returned to the farm, then decided to switch careers.
"He always wanted to work with people and help them," said his daughter, Pamela Essex of Delta, B.C. "Although he loved his family's farm, it wasn't the right thing for him."
Mr. Lawson earned his law degree from the University of Washington in 1957 and worked briefly in private practice before becoming Redmond's city attorney.
In 1979, he was appointed to a vacancy in King County's Northeast District Court, and he won the seat in subsequent elections. He served for 11 years before moving to pro-tem assignments. His daughter said he liked the variety of working in different courtrooms and working about three to four days a week; pro-tem judges fill in while other judges are on vacation or are otherwise unavailable.
In the last year, Mr. Lawson and his wife of 48 years, Patricia, took a five-week trip that included a North Atlantic cruise and a visit to relatives in Sweden.
Mr. Lawson was active in the Methodist Church, Masonic Lodge, Nile Shrine, Lion's Club and the Overlake Hospital Medical Center Board. His interests included boating, hiking and photography.
In addition to his wife and daughter, Mr. Lawson is survived by brothers Dr. W. Maurice Lawson of Redmond and Dr. Norman Lawson of Des Moines; sister Nancy Conrath of Portland; and two grandchildren.
Remembrances may be made to the American Heart Association, 4114 Woodland Park Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103.