David Lawson Obituary, Death – David K. “Dave” Lawson, , passed away on Wednesday, June 28, 2023 at 4:42 p.m. at the OSF St. Mary Medical Center in Galesburg, Illinois. He was a resident of Avon, Illinois. He was the son of Jerome and Reta (Hunter) Lawson and was born on August 14, 1948 in the city of Avon. He spent his childhood in Avon and received all of his education there, graduating from Avon High School in 1966. Dave would go on to pursue a degree in Agricultural Economics at Southern Illinois University, where he would eventually graduate with a degree.
On July 2, 1971, Dave tied the knot with Robin Harre. David and Michael were the couple’s two offspring from their union. Mary (Shankland) Hayes, who he married on September 15, 1997, is the only person who will carry on his legacy after his passing. Those who are left to honor his memory are his wife, Mary; his children David Scott Lawson of Merrillville, Indiana, Michael Adam (Erin Stretch) Lawson of Rolling Meadows, Illinois, and Daniel Shankland (Tara) Hayes of Joliet, Illinois; his brothers Robert Mark Lawson of Ladue, Missouri and Phillip Michael Lawson of St. Augustine, Illinois; and his grandchildren Chase, Owen, Charlotte, and William. He was preceded in death by his parents. In addition to them, he is survived by a number of nieces, nephews, and cousins.
His parents and one brother, Jerome “Jerry” Lawson, Jr., as well as his mother-in-law, Mary Shankland, father-in-law, Jack Shankland, and brother-in-law, Rodney Springer, passed away before him. He was also predeceased by a number of aunts, uncles, and cousins. Dave began his career working for International Harvester and AO Smith, where he had positions in sales and corporate training, respectively. Because of his talent as a salesperson, he was later hired by Apple Computer, where he was responsible for selling computers to corporate clients in the Midwest.
In subsequent years, he would pursue a career in which he would sell computer software and security solutions to multinational corporations. Dave was able to take use of this opportunity by going on long trips throughout the United States and to other nations such as Germany, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia. Despite everything that had happened, Dave knew that he needed to go back to his roots and work on the family farm. He started his own business as a contractor in Naperville, Illinois at first, and then moved the business to Avon, Illinois in the year 2001.
Because of his experience in the contracting industry, he was able to construct the house in which he and Mary lived, which was an accomplishment of which he was quite proud. In 2001, David and Mary opened the Main Street Cafe in Avon, and Dave had to perform major renovations on the building before they could open for business. He remained in this field of work up until the year 2015, when he finally retired.
