I was born in Mt Pleasant, TX. When I was little, my dad had a couple of Continentals. One was white. He called it White Cloud. The other was green. I don't know if that one had a name. He drove me to school from Mt Pleasant to Paris, TX in the green one. He listened to "The Rest of the Story." I was interested in listening, but it was 5:00 am, so I slept most of the way. The back seats were comfortable, even though they were leather. 

Marion Lester Lawson was born in 1932 .

His mother, Florence Nelson, was a child of Swedish parents. His father, Ivan Lawson, was a child of descendants of The Revolutionary War..

After he retired from the military and civilian work, he spent his time reading, writing mowing lawns for free for people, helping people stranded on the interstate. 

I rarely spoke directly to him because of his service. But in the times we had together, he smiled and I knew he loved me. 

My Dad was cool. I was his daughter. He used to drop me off at a donut shop (not a big chain) and give me money for  breakfast before school.  He also made the best chicken and vegetable dish.



Jennifer Lee Lawson, MA. Philosopher, Author, Artist. (2024)

I couldn't have done any of it without you, Dad.

Dad, you wouldn't believe what's going on.

This is a photograph of Jennifer Lee Lawson, MA, taken by Jeremy L Lawson on September 12, 2024. Jennifer buried her father in a military cemetery because she thought he deserved that honor. Marion died of cancer. Jennifer was in charge of his end-of-life decisions. When he was buried, she gave the flag to Jeremy/

Jennifer Lee Lawson, MA. Philosopher. American.

Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery

Dad,

I eventually wrote this. 

Love,
Jennie

When I was in college at Stetson University, I heard that my Dad started reading philosophy on his own because I was majoring in philosophy. I don't know the educational background of most of my ancestors, but I was the first one in recent memory who graduated from college with a bachelor's. I do know that my Dad formally studied geology at Paris Junior College at one point after I was older. My dad was considered eccentric by a lot of people. Sometimes being eccentric is not a bad thing. For example, as a kid, I was never spanked. My dad had a reputation for being incredibly nice, or extremely scary to people. He was not a "flat character," as they call it in fiction. 

Dad took us to look for fool's gold in rivers and creeks. We usually took a vacation every Summer.

As an adult, I sent my Dad gifts at Christmas. Usually it was sausage, cheese, jams, crackers, and a ham. Maybe some candy. I ordered from those famous magazines that come out around Christmas and had it shipped to him. I had it delivered a week before Christmas.

Marion L. Lawson was in Korea for the war. A story told to me, his daughter, Jennifer, is that he fell in love with a Korean woman and bought her pearl earrings and asked her to marry him. I was told she said "No." For a long time, I owned those earrings. I don't know where they are now. It's a great love story if it's true.

MARION L LAWSON

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