George M. Lawson

LAWSON, George M., age 82, a 41-year resident of Washington Township, OH, passed away on Monday, December 11, 2023, at Miami Valley Hospital South.  Born in Miamisburg, OH, George grew up in a military family and graduated from Central High School in London.  This experience impacted his worldview and generated a love of adventure and travel in later years to many European countries and throughout the United States.  He held multiple degrees that prepared him for his 34-year career in finance and auditing roles with General Motors.  But his most cherished educational achievement was a Certificate in Baking and Pastry Arts from a one-year, on-campus experience at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.  In 1995, by invitation, he designed and created the plated dessert for the closing banquet of the Dayton Peace Accords.  He then launched an instructional baking program for the State of Ohio’s minimum-security prisons, developing the curriculum and hiring the first instructors for the eight sites.  For ten years, he taught at the Montgomery Education and Prerelease Center in Dayton and considered this his calling and ministry.  George was a man of many interests and passions.  In his young adulthood, he loved skiing, SCUBA diving, boating, fishing, and riding jumpers in horse competitions.  Later, as a Mason and a Shriner, he joined both the Dayton and the Cincinnati Shrine Pipe Bands and, in 1986, won first place in beginning solo piping at the Great Lakes Shrine Pipe Band Association competition.  A dedicated gardener, he took pride in the appearance of his property and, in 2009, won a Washington Township Beautification Award.  Perhaps his greatest joy was training, walking, and being a loving dog daddy and hunting buddy to his beloved late Dora.  As a 39-year member of Southminster Presbyterian Church and a servant of God, George served as a Deacon, chairing the Fellowship Team, relaunching the Men’s Breakfast Group, and serving as Southminster’s volunteer chef.  As a Ruling Elder, he served as chair of the Nominating Team.  He conducted a seminar for children who wanted to learn to fish and then took them to local fishing spots to hone their skills.  He was an active Stephen Minister and a Stephen Leader, compassionately and confidentially helping male members of the congregation through the tough times of life.  In the community, George served on the Associate Board of the Dayton Art Institute, chairing the food team for Oktoberfest, and was an active volunteer with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.  He was a member of Millennium Lodge No. 779, Unity Chapter No. 16 Royal Arch Masons, Silver Trowel Council No. 141, Reed Commandery No. 6, Valley of Dayton Scottish Rite, and Antioch Shriners.  George was preceded in death by his parents George and Helen Sweeney Lawson, sisters Mary and Pat, niece Faith, and nephew Todd.  He is survived by his adoring, devoted, and beloved wife of 41 years Marj, sister-in-law and brother-in-law Ethel and Jim Wells, nephew and godson Geoff Wells, niece Susan Lackey and her husband Bill and their daughters Sarah and Hannah, and his “not-by-blood-but-by-love” family:  godson Randy Natherson and all the Natherson clan, goddaughter Maggie Melssen and her family, and special friend Janet Malenfant and her husband Mark and their daughters Audrey and Ashley, as well as many dear cousins and friends.  George was a caring, loving, and faithful friend to all who knew him.  He fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith.  The visitation will be held in the Narthex of Southminster Presbyterian Church, 7001 Far Hills Avenue, Dayton, OH  45459, on Thursday, December 28, at 10 a.m., with the Blue Lodge service, the AASR ring service, and the memorial service in the Sanctuary beginning at 11 a.m.  A committal service for the family will be held in the mid-afternoon at Forest Hill Cemetery in Piqua, Ohio.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Southminster Presbyterian Church Memorial Fund in George’s honor and memory.