Natalie J. Lawson

Natalie was born March 3, 1924 in Gould, WV to Parley Samuel and Nola Avis Gould-Aylestock – Grandma and Grandpa. She was one of fifteen kids, so it was always a challenge keeping up with all of the nieces and nephews. Family and faith were everything to her; it is what kept here going all of these years. Mom was nearly inseparable from her sisters Lorene (Aunt Woo), Lavaund and Ann.

Mom was mostly a stay at home mom to us - Gary and Roger – and not missing daily episodes of “As the World Turns.” She had rough times though; losing her oldest, a daughter, Sandra Kay when Sandra was five years old and later being divorced after 28 years of marriage. But, she never, ever, lost her smile.

She began working full time at the CIA employee store and later as a receptionist for the Security Department (from which she retired) after a part time job at Hecht’s Tyson’s Corner in the early 1970s. Our family was one of the founding families of Charles Wesley Methodist Church in McLean, VA and our family joined McLean Presbyterian Church where she has been an active member for over 45 years.

Mom enjoyed sewing – making suits, skirts, sport coats and shirts. She loved to watch the birds in the yard, chasing away the neighbor’s cat and all of the squirrels that tried to get into her bird feeder. She also enjoyed gardening; planting and erecting brickwork to set the flower beds apart from the rest of the yard. She loved putting jigsaw puzzles together with our uncle Dick – one of her favorite pass times during the holidays. She was active with a McLean Presbyterian Ladies Group for many years – always on the go with that wonderful group of ladies. Mom served as a Deaconess at Mclean Presbyterian. And the pictures – in her later years, she spent a lot of time organizing and re-organizing all of her photos. I think she would say that besides her family, one of her highlights was a trip to the Holy Lands. Mom was the go to person in the family when it came to genealogy.

I could go on… but this loving mom, Grandma, Great Grandma, sister Nat, Aunt Nat, Great Aunt Nat, and friend… will be missed.

Natalie is survived by two sons, Gary Wayne Lawson and Roger Lee Lawson of Ashburn, VA; a sister, Anna Mae Young of Stephen’s City, VA; three brothers, Carl Aylestock (just turned 100) of Clarksburg, WV, Woodford Aylestock of Buckhannon, WV, and Harold Aylestock of Berryville, VA; three grandchildren, Geoffrey Robert Lawson of New Haven, CT, Sandra Elizabeth Lawson Hoover and husband Ryan of Ashburn, VA, and Cordell Lee Sagan-Lawson of Pleasanton, CA; and one great-grandchild, Coraline Reese Hoover. She is preceded in death by daughter Sandra Kay Lawson; four sisters, Mabel Newcome, Lavaun Bourne, Lorene Tomblyn, and Phyllis Ervin; and six brothers, Hartsel, Glenn, Edwin, Russell, Lloyd, and John Thomas Aylestock.