William "Bill" Lawson

On Earth we celebrated the birth of Christ on December 25th, 2020.  Bill Lawson, formerly of Corsica, left this year’s earthly celebration to join the celebration in Heaven. Bill, like Christ, had humble origins.  Born in Harmarville, PA on August 24, 1932 to Claude and Margaret (Eisenhuth) Lawson, Bill grew up in that coal mining town east of Pittsburgh where men learned to work hard and be resourceful.  He grew up in the economy of the company store and amidst a community where neighbors cared about neighbors.  It all shaped his life.  As a business owner, he told many a customer “Pay me what you can”.  As a neighbor, who often lent a helping hand, his common explanation was “Hey, this is what neighbors do”. Harmarville not only yielded Bill virtues that would mark his life, it yielded him a wife who would journey with him for 68 of his 88 years.  Bill met Joanne Reibert when she challenged him to a race one night when they were both cruising the streets of nearby Oakmont.  Joanne won the race, but Bill won the day by winning her hand in marriage.  They married June 28, 1952. They started a family which included eight children, evenly divided between the genders, they included Patricia, Bill, Amy, Bonnie, Claude, Bob, Elizabeth, and Steve. Prior to marriage, Bill trained as an electrician working in the deep mines around Harmarville. Bill moved with his young family to Arizona where he further honed his skills in the copper mines there.  Bill and Joanne returned to PA in 1964, settling in the Corsica area and calling their farm on route 949 ‘home’ for the next 50+ years.  It was there Bill began his own business ‘Lawson Electric’, specializing in not only commercial and residential wiring, but also rewinding electrical motors. Bill was a genius when it came to all things electrical.  But Bill could fix anything that had moving parts.  He was also a gifted auto mechanic. If you mentioned your car was making a noise, before you could ask “what do you think it is?”, he was on his back under your car asking for a 9/16th wrench and a big screwdriver. As a father, Bill valued the Christian life and pointed his children in that direction, reminding frequently “only one life, will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.”  Bill and his family attended and fellowshipped at the Christian Missionary Alliance in Brookville. Bill also loved to include his children in his love for the outdoors.  He was an avid hunter and fisherman.  His all-time favorite local fishing spot was Four Mile Run.  His love of the outdoors lives on in three generations now. Bill loved to take trips with his wife Joanne, from annual trips to the orchards around Erie to pick cherries and peaches to an Alaskan Cruise and a trip inland to fish for salmon. Up to the end, Bill never lost his ability to make others laugh and smile. He is survived by his wife Vera Joanne Lawson, daughter Patricia Lawson of Charleston, West Virginia, daughter Amy McCall (Terry) of Lancaster, PA, daughter Bonnie Lawson of Fayetteville, GA, daughter Elizabeth Ferroni (Jerry) of Knox, son Claude (Amy) of Corsica, son Robert of Brookville, son Steven of Butler and adopted son and daughter Jeremy and Sarah. He is survived by 17 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren by whom he was affectionately referred to as “Poppy”. Bill is preceded in death by his parents, his sister Orpha, eldest son Bill and a grandson. A funeral service will be broadcast on Saturday, January 2, 2021, beginning at 2pm and officiated by Pastor J. Ray Baker. Services have been entrusted to the McKinney – d’Argy Funeral Home, 345 Main Street, Brookville, PA 15825. Online condolences and other information may be found by visiting www.mckinneydargy.com

The live broadcast of the service may be viewed by selecting the button below his obituary on www.mckinneydargy.com or by entering http://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/43732 into your web browser.

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