Rosabel Lawson Obituary

Funeral Services will be held for Rosabel A. Lawson at 10:00 a.m., Monday, July 11, 2022, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 410 N Allen Ave., Farmington, NM. Luncheon will follow at the Sacred Heart Family Center. Burial will occur in the Florida Cemetery, Durango, CO; date and time will be announced at the funeral.

Rosabel Antonia Pedwell Lawson departed this Earthly world to join her beloved husband Robert G. Lawson in Heaven on June 29, 2022. She is survived by her daughters, Charlotte McCune (Robert E. ), Flora Vista, and Sissy Crawford, Farmington. In addition, her grandchildren William Briggs (Angie), Santa Fe, Amber Crawford, Robert Crawford, Farmington, and Benjamen McCune (Mary), Bloomfield; her great-grandchildren, Jackson and James Briggs, Dylin and Christopher Gagnebin, and Anderson and Willow McCune. She is also survived by her sister, Joan McCaw, Ignacio, CO, and by numerous nephews, nieces, and greats. She was preceded in death by her husband Robert G. Lawson, her parents William F. and Mary E. (Waldner) Pedwell, baby brother William, Jr., sister Gwendolyn Black, granddaughters Katrina Rose McCune and Ashley Crawford, and sons-in-law, Ray Briggs and Frankie J. Crawford.

On August 5, 1929, Rosabel was born in her grandmother's home on the Waldner homestead, north of what is now Lemon Reservoir, and had her early childhood on the Florida Mesa, on property homesteaded by her father's family. She was a bright, energetic girl, the baby of the family, and family members realized early-on that she was spunky, with a quick temper, but just as quick with a laugh. She loved to find the humor in every situation, and have fun in all that she did. Her father, Bill, liked a song (Meet Me In St. Louis) that has a line, "I'll be your tootsie wootsie", and he nick-named her "Wootsie." It stuck with her, with family and friends , the rest of her life; she was "Grandma Wootsie" and sometimes Rosie.

She started school at the Orr school, but had to change to Oxford when her father bought a different farm and moved the family there. Serious illness held her back some months but she graduated from Durango High School in 1947.

Rosabel joined her sister Gwendolyn in teaching on a special wartime exemption for 2 years in Pleasant View, CO, then took a job as a telephone operator in Durango for a couple years. When she met the love of her life, Robert, they had the proverbial whirlwind courtship, got married on January 11, 1952, in St. Columba's Church, Durango, and she joined him in San Diego for a time while he was in the Navy during the Korean Conflict.

Although Robert's family had a shock when Rosabel drove her yellow convertible car off through his father's cornfield, north of Aztec, the two seemed perfectly suited for each other. They were an excellent dance couple, especially with the "Jitter-bug," and both loved to laugh and joke. Before long, Rosabel was a happy part of the Lawson family, and eventually became especially close to Robert's sister Betty.

On returning from the service, Robert found work with the Dowell company and for about 6 months he and Rosabel lived in Moab, Utah. After Robert was transferred to the San Juan Basin, they lived for a time in Aztec then bought their new house in Farmington, where they raised their family. Robert continued to work for Dowell for forty years. Rosabel was a stay-at-home wife for a number of years, but also took on baby-sitting jobs at her home because she loved kids and enjoyed caring for them. She tried to keep in touch with those children or their parents as they went on through adulthood. She eventually went back to a regular job, as a switchboard operator and dispatcher, mostly with Contact Answering Service for many years.

Since Robert was an avid fisherman, and also liked to cook the fish, the family had numerous fishing outings, camping weekends, and trips to Mexico to fish. As an affectionate mother, Rosabel did everything she could to help her girls do what they wanted, including ballet, swim team, and keeping all sorts of pets. Rosabel herself enjoyed having pets, especially her small dogs, the stray cats that came by the yard, and plenty of hummingbird feeders on the porch in the summer. She liked watching the antics of skunks and raccoons that sometimes were in the back yard, too. She often had beautiful houseplants and enjoyed gardening with her flowers. She liked decorating her home for holidays and held many a family gathering for holidays, especially Christmas and Thanksgiving. Even though it was a lot of work, Rosabel enjoyed being a hostess, and the gossip around the table after luncheons or dinners.

Rosabel was a kind, loving person, who enjoyed people of all types. She treated everyone respectfully and listened to what they had to say. She also was feisty, loved the color red, and was quick to champion the underdog. Thoughts for family members were generally foremost to her. She was very close to her parents and sisters.

Most anyone acquainted with Rosabel will remember her starting her stories with "Well, Ol' Tom sure got in a fix .... or Ol' Don came by.... Always Ol' before the name.

Beloved by family members, Wootsie will be missed, and her easy laughter will echo in our memories. We can imagine Robert and Rosabel together again, livening up Heaven with their jokes and laughter.