Margaret Ann Lawson

February 21, 1932 – March 15, 2025

Goodness. Kindness. Beauty. Strength. These are the traits that defined our beloved mother, Margaret Ann Lawson, who passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 15th after a brief stay in the hospital. She grew up in a loving, close-knit family outside of Patterson Park on Kenwood Avenue and attended nearby St. Elizabeth School where she cleaned the altar floor every Saturday for fifty cents under the direction of the nuns. Her parents, James and Margaret Sunderland, raised three children: Marie (who passed away in 2016), Margaret and little brother, James (Jim). She later attended Catholic High School where she met lifelong friends and continued her Catholic education. When she turned 19, she joined the secretarial pool at Commercial Credit Corporation after stints serving as a model for local businesses. It was there that she met our father, Thomas Lawson, Jr., an auditor. They married in 1952 and in short order became the proud parents of four sons: Tom, Mike, Greg and Mark. Upon the arrival of their fifth child, the attending nurses kept proclaiming: “It’s a girl! It’s a girl!” as the fifth Lawson, Barbara came into the world. These happy times were followed by their sixth child, Peggy and nine years later, one last baby for good measure, Peter. While raising a family of seven boisterous and happy children did not leave time for personal pursuits, our mother still managed to keep busy. She travelled extensively throughout the country accompanying our father on his frequent business trips. In addition, she made multiple visits to Las Vegas to see her sister and made pilgrimages to Italy and Yugoslavia. She volunteered at her children’s schools without ever missing a fashion show or Mother’s Club event. She never missed an opportunity to play bridge with her friends or visit Eagle’s Nest Country Club where the children swam, and our father golfed. Later in life, she spent time taking communion weekly to the sick at GBMC Hospital. She volunteered as the front desk receptionist for the Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart which seemed to include coffee breaks and chats as much as work. She also served as president of the “Friends of the Mission Helpers” for four years. She raised funds at their annual Fall Bazaar where she worked tirelessly to gather donations from area bakeries, friends and family, and employed all her grandchildren for sales on the day of the event. Needless to say, “Grandma’s Bake Table” was always a huge money maker!

She had a joy of life and a ready laugh. Her kindness was contagious and everywhere she went, staff at area grocery stores, banks, coffee shops, and pharmacies all seemed to know and love her. She was everyone’s mother and made everyone feel like the most important person in the world. She demonstrated genuine interest by actively listening and asking many questions. She was the person her children turned to for good news, bad news and advice. She only wanted to talk about others, never herself, as humility was another one of her gifts. Family meant everything to her. Keeping up with the exploits of her grandchildren was a full- time job! It became like a quiz show to remember how many of them there were. As the family matriarch, she was a special guest at every performance, holiday, birthday, family gathering, event and activity. She served as the glue, the hub, and the beacon.

But more than anything, her devout Catholic faith was her most precious attribute. She always kept God first in her life and attended daily Mass as often as she could. Where Jesus was, she wanted to be, so Adoration was a staple in her life. Finally, she had a deep devotion to our Blessed Mother who she knew always led souls directly to Jesus. With these guiding principles in mind, she served as a role model for others which led many of her children's spouses converting to Catholicism.

Margaret is survived by her children: sons Michael Lawson (and wife, Robin), Gregory Lawson (and wife, Jessica), Mark Lawson (and wife, Bonnie), Peter Lawson (and wife, Amy) and daughters Barbara Foreman (and husband, Dave) and Peggy Dryden (and husband, Glen.) She was the devoted grandmother of twenty-five grandchildren: Esther, Anaisha, Jennifer, Michael, John Henry, Julia, Jay, Cameron, Jordan, Lauren, Heather, Maddy, Stephen, Ben, Joe F., Seth, Maria, Nick, John, Joe D., Paige, Sara, Clare, Luke and Bryce along with many spouses of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She was pre-deceased by her husband Thomas Henry Lawson, Jr., her son Thomas Henry Lawson III and her sister Ella Marie Aguilar.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Sacred Heart Parish in Glyndon on Saturday, March 29th at 9:30 AM followed by a private burial at Garrison Forest Veteran’s Cemetery on March 31st.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, June 14.

In lieu of flowers, a contribution to the Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart,16 Greenmeadow Drive, suite 301 , Timonium, Maryland, 21093 is requested .