Leon R. Lawton 1924-2010  
Categories: Battle Creek, Michigan, Denver, Colorado, Minister / Pastor, Veteran WW II, Walworth, Wisconsin, Westerly, Rhode Island
"The Sabbath Recorder", Vol 232, No 9, p 26, Sep., 2010.
  The Rev. Leon Redford Lawton, 86, of Westerly, R.I., died peacefully on July 18, 2010.   He was the   beloved husband of Dorothy G. (Brannon) Lawton.
  Born in Battle Creek, Mich., on May 21, 1924 he was the son of Stephen R. and Ethel (Chapin) Lawton.   At age 12, Leon trusted Christ as his Savior, was baptized in a small lake and joined the Battle Creek Seventh Day Baptist Church.
  He became an Eagle Scout at the age of 13 and graduated from Lakeview High School in 1942.   He   attended Western Michigan College in Kalamazoo that fall but was drafted in 1943 and served in the U.S. Army during World War II.   Leon was a conscientious objector who was trained as a medic and later served as a company clerk.   His rank at discharge was first sergeant having received a Bronze Star, Victory Medal and the Netherlands Gold Medal of Honor.   During Leon's entire school, work and military years, he always asked for Sabbath off and was rewarded by God for his faithfulness by being allowed to work other days.
  Leon received his Bachelor’s degree from Salem (W.Va.) College and a Master of Divinity from the American Baptist Seminary of the West in Covina, Calif.   His pastoral ministry began as a student pastor in Salem in the summer of 1948, and concluded in 2009 when he stepped down as pastor of the   Waterford, Conn., SDB Church.   He served in Chicago, Ill. and Walworth, Wis. (1948-49); Los Angeles, Calif. (1950-56, ordained there); Charles Street SDB Church, Kingston, Jamaica (1956-60, 1961-64); Lost Creek and Roanoke, W.Va. (1960-61, acting pastor for 9 months); Brookfield and Leonardsville, N.Y. (1966-68); Denver, Colo. (1969-70); Rockville, R.I. (in rotation with other area pastors, 1970-2009); and Waterford (1992-2009).
  While he and his family were missionaries to Jamaica, he was the Supervisor and Corresponding Secretary of the Jamaica Mission Field.   Returning to the states, he became Director of Evangelism on the Home Field for the SDB Missionary Society (1964-69), and then Executive Vice President for the Missionary Society, 1970-1991.
  Pastor Lawton was the training director for the Summer Christian Service Corps from 1965 to 1978, and also served the SDB World Federation as treasurer for 21 years.   Over a three-month period in 1974, he and General Secretary Alton Wheeler made a worldwide "ambassador trip" visiting nearly all of the SDB sister Conferences.
  He was past president of the Hopkinton (R.I.) Historical Society and a life member of the Seventh Day Baptist Historical Society.
  Besides his loving and devoted wife of over 63 years, he will be sadly missed by his children, Duane E. Lawton of Charlevoix, Mich., Gordon P. Lawton of Milton, Wis., Patricia G. Tauscher of Bristol, Va., and Jeffrey G. Lawton of Bradford, R.I. He also leaves 11 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
  A memorial service will be held at the Pawcatuck SDB Church, Westerly, R.I., on September 19, 2010. Burial will be in the Evergreen Cemetery, Albion, Wis.