Robert Rockafeller Lawless

Rob was born on November 11, 1924, in St. Paul, Indiana, to John and Ruth (Rockafeller) Lawless who predeceased him. His older sister, Hester Lawless Petty also preceded him in death. Rob is survived by his wife, Judith Leach Lawless, whom he married in 1973 and his daughter, Heather Celestine Lawless Lehnert and her husband Ralf of Nashville, Indiana; his younger sister, Joanna Lawless Wade of Flat Rock, Indiana; and several nieces and nephews.

Rob graduated from St. Paul High School in 1943. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and served from 1951–1952 with the 39th Field Artillery Battalion in the Korean War.

Rob was an avid ballroom dancer and enjoyed sharing this passion with others. Prior to his army service, he taught lessons in the 1940’s and 1950’s in Indianapolis, Indiana, as well as in Dayton, Cincinnati and Hamilton, Ohio. This passion didn’t stop when he was in the army and he instructed for the military when he was stationed in Fort Mead, Maryland. He later gave dance lessons in Nashville in the 1960’s and 1970’s and taught again in the late 1990’s and into the 21st Century.

After training in France and Italy on the European method of men’s hair styling, Rob opened The Den in 1961 in Nashville, the first Roffler salon in Indiana. In 1963 he launched The Razor’s Edge in Nashville. He went on to teach men’s hairstyling at the International Barber College in Indianapolis.

Rob was an avid collector and supporter of Brown County art and artists. He and Judith gave numerous talks on the life and works of Glen Cooper Henshaw and the photographer Frank Hohenberger. He was a tour guide at the T.C. Steele State Historic Site. He served as president on the board of directors for the Onya LaTour Community Center. He also served on the first Protective Scenic Board, which voted to eliminate billboards from Brown County. Rob was previously active with the Brown County Historical Society and the Brown County Humane Society. He was a member of the Nashville United Methodist Church.

Rob was a recreational historian and enjoyed stories of Indiana and Brown County, as well as Native American history. He taught a Native American class as part of the Purdue Super Saturday Program in Milan, Indiana. He also did extensive research on Morgan’s Raid in Indiana, a confederate incursion during the Civil War, and on the Ripley County lynching.

A memorial service will be held at the Nashville United Methodist Church on Saturday, May 21, 2016 at 11:00 am. Visitation will be at the church from 10:00 am – 11:00 am prior to the service. Pastor Mary Cartwright will officiate.

Arrangements are through the Bond-Mitchell Funeral Home in Nashville.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.bondmitchelfuneralhome.com