Joseph John Lawton, Jr., 93, died Oct. 7, 2019, at the Crouse Community Center in Morrisville.
Joe is survived by five children: Joe (Mary Jane Kinney) Lawton of New York City; Jeff (Kathy) Lawton of Croton-on-Hudson; Eileen (Fred) Rogers of Cazenovia; Daniel (Paula Hawkins) Lawton of Falls Church, VA; and Sara (Paul) Recktenwald of Tiburon, CA; and 10 grandchildren.
A life-long resident of Central New York, he was predeceased by his beloved wife of 58 years, Mary Clarke Lawton; his sister, Monica Lawton; his brother, the Honorable John Lawton; and his parents, Joseph and Monica Lawton.
Joe worked for his entire 40-plus-year professional career as an attorney at Syracuse law firm Bond, Schoeneck and King, specializing in contract and construction law. He was active in the American Subcontractors Association and the New York State Bar. He was a proud alumnus of Most Holy Rosary School, Niagara University and St. John’s University Law School.
At the end of World War II, he was deployed to northeastern Italy with the 88th Infantry Division.
Prior to retirement, Joe enjoyed gardening, snowmobiling and golf. In his retirement, he was fond of traveling, taking photos, rooting for the New York Yankees and chatting over a five o’clock beer. He basked in the company of family and friends throughout his life.
A funeral mass will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2 at St. Mary’s of the Lake Church, Skaneateles. A reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Lourdes Camp at 1150 Ten Mile Point, Skaneateles, NY, 13152.
To send condolences, visit robertdgrayfuneralhome.com.