Col George Asbury Lawson

LAWSON, COL. (Ret.) George A., a man who personified the best attributes of the greatest generation passed away on February 16, 2017 at the age of 98. Col. Lawson was the oldest of six and was raised by his grandparents in Winchester, Tennessee where he attended a one-room school house from the age of five through the eighth grade. He was the first in his family to graduate from high school and went on to attend Tennessee Technological University. Having come from a poor family he financed his college education by working the night shift at a local hotel. In 1941 he graduated with a BS degree in accounting. He was a licensed pilot prior to World War II having discovered his love of flying from the barnstormers. He enlisted in the military in 1941 and rose through the ranks quickly. He served as a photo reconnaissance pilot flying P-38s for the 7th Photo Reconnaissance Group of the 8th Air Force based out of Mount Farm, England. Col. Lawson was the third youngest combat group commander in the 8th Air Force during World War II and rose from Aviation Cadet to Lt. Col. in less than two years. He was one of the limited few entrusted with full briefings of the D-Day invasion which prevented him from flying any further missions. In 1943 he met 1st Lt. Phyllis Morelli a registered nurse serving in Army field hospitals in England and on the battlefields of Europe. They were married in 1946 shortly before Col. Lawson was deployed to serve as Military Governor of Seoul, South Korea, a city that had been devastated by the Japanese occupation. Col. Lawson continued his career in the military and furthered his education by receiving a Masters Degree in Business from the University of Pittsburgh in 1951. He served for over thirty years in the Air Force with his last assignment at MacDill. He visited 110 different countries in his lifetime and was awarded 17 U.S. and foreign medals including the recent award of the French Legion of Honor. After retiring from the military he worked an additional 13 years as the Comptroller for Bayfront Medical Center. He was a charter season ticket holder of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was still tailgating and attending games at the age of 95. He also served as the President of the Eighth Air Force Historical Society and on the Board of Directors of the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Savannah which he helped to establish. When his wife, Phyllis became ill with Alzheimer's he became her primary caregiver and lovingly attended to her including taking her to Mass at St. Raphael's until her death in 2008. He was a man devoted to his country and to his family and never missed an opportunity to support his children and grandchildren. Col. Lawson is predeceased by his wife, Phyllis, his granddaughter, Ashley Lawson and five siblings. He is survived by his children, George A. Lawson, Jr., Dr. Mark Lawson, Ceci Shannon, Lori Rutland, nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Col. Lawson's visitation will be Sunday, February 19th from 2pm-3:30pm at Anderson-McQueen Funeral Home, NE St. Pete. He will be buried next to his wife, Phyllis at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum, P.O. Box 1992, Savannah, GA, 31402 and reference 7th Photo Reconnaissance Group display or online at www.memorial-donations.org. Visit the personalized online guestbook at www.AndersonMcQueen.com