Roderick Lawson

Lawson, Roderick Adams

Passed away peacefully September 18th at the age of 101, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend. Rod and his brother Donald grew up in St. Paul where they attended St. Paul Central High School. Rod excelled academically and Don was a star basketball player. Graduating in 1936, Rod then attended the University of Minnesota main campus where he was elected Sophomore class president, and later All Student Body president.

In 1942 he entered active service in the Army Signal Corp.  In 1943 Rod married his college sweetheart Helen. He was in the Pacific theater based in Hawaii and Okinawa attaining the rank of Captain. After the war, he attended law school at the U of M. He then practiced law in Stillwater and Lake Elmo for over 50 years, including significant pro-bono legal work.  He spent his life helping people and causes. In the 1970's he was on the Minnesota-Wisconsin Boundary Area Commission, working to make the St. Croix a designated wild river. He was an early proponent of historical preservation in Stillwater. In the 1980's Rod and his best and oldest friend Otto Silha (former publisher of the StarTribune) along with other graduates started the St. Paul Central High School Foundation whose purpose is to provide scholarships and assist students. Rod remained President of the foundation well into his eighties.

In their 66 years of marriage, Rod and Helen traveled the world and took their children on dozens of wonderful vacations. Later they began wintering in Florida and entertained the grandchildren whenever possible. Preceded in death by his younger brother Donald (battle of Anzio), wife Helen, and daughter Mary. Survived by sons Rory and David (Judy), 4 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren.  Our thanks to the staff at Boutwell's Landing and Jones-Harrison for the excellent care they provided. Memorial service will be in June 2021. Memorials preferred to The St Paul Central Foundation Scholarships, P.O. Box 8082, St. Paul, MN 55108 (https://centralhighschoolfoundation.org/donate-now/), Jones-Harrison, 3700 Cedar Lake Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55416 (https://www.jones-harrison.org/donate/), Presbyterian Homes Foundation, Boutwells Landing, 2845 Hamline Avenue North, Roseville, MN 55113 (https://www.preshomes.org/get-to-know-us/foundation/).

Rod and Helen will be interred at Fort Snelling National Cemetery at 10:00am Tuesday, October 20, 2020. For those who are not able to attend, a live video will be available for viewing on this page.