Thomas J. Lawton

Thomas Joseph Lawton, Jr., of Huntsville, Alabama, died on August 21, 2021. He was born on March 4, 1948, in Charleston, South Carolina, the oldest of the eight children of Thomas Joseph Lawton, Sr., and Celestine Smith Lawton. He attended Sacred Heart School and graduated from Bishop England High School in 1966. He won a Charleston city scholarship to attend the Citadel, where he was named three times to the Dean’s List, was elected to the Honor Committee, and achieved the cadet rank of Battalion Staff Officer. After graduating from the Citadel in 1970, he taught for several years in the Charleston County School District, and earned a Master’s Degree in Teaching Arts from the Citadel in 1972. From 1973 to 1981, he served in the United States Army. Thomas was a computer programmer, first at SCI and then at Boeing, and worked on a simulation contract for the U.S. Army at McMorrow Laboratories on Redstone Arsenal. In retirement, he was an avid birder, and enjoyed cooking, photography, and genealogy. He was predeceased by three brothers, Alan Lawton, Anthony Lawton, and Bryan Lawton. He is survived by two sons, Thomas Joseph Lawton III, of Charleston, and James Christopher Lawton, of London, England; one brother, David Lawton; three sisters, Carol Lawton, Melody Anderson (Mike), and Mary Cummings; and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. A memorial service will be held on September 25 at 11:00 A.M. at Saint Lawrence Cemetery in Charleston. In lieu of flowers, his family requests donations to the ALS Association.  Arrangements by JAMES A. MCALISTER, INC. (843)766-1365