Bruce E. Lawson

Portsmouth, RI - Bruce E. Lawson, 74, of 59 Birchwood Drive, Portsmouth, died Friday, May 21, 2004 at Charlton Memorial Hospital Fall River, MA.He was the husband of the late Joanne Marie McCarthy Lawson. Born in Brockton, MA on May 20, 1930, he was the son of the late George Waldemar and Anna Ellis Lawson. Mr. Lawson was a 1948 graduate of Avon High School, where he was a star athlete and leader of his class. He was in the United States Navy. Mr. Lawson was one of the first original Raytheon employees who established the Portsmouth facility, where he worked as a divisional manager for over 37 years, retiring in 1992. He was a member of St. Peters Lutheran Church, a little league coach in Portsmouth and an avid hunter and outdoorsmen. He is survived by four sons Bruce Eric Lawson of Portsmouth, RI, George Allen Lawson of Kittery, ME, Stephen James Lawson of Middletown, RI and Craig Daniel Lawson of Portsmouth, RI, two daughters Laurie Anne Ratigan of East Greenwich, RI and Julie Anne Vieira of Bristol, RI, two brothers Brian Lawson of Gardiner, ME, and Barry Lawson of Augusta, ME, three sisters Pauline Knight of Ormond Beach, FL, Marlene Whitney of Attleboro, MA, and Maxine Potter of Rochester, NH, seventeen grandchildren and one great grandson.He was the grandfather of the late Kristyn Marie Lawson. His funeral will be held on Monday, May 24, 2004, at 11:00AM in St. Peters Lutheran Church, 525 Broadway, Newport. Burial will be in Trinity Cemetery in Portsmouth.In lieu of flowers donations in his memory may be made to the American Heart Association, 20 Speen Street, Framingham, MA, 01701