Peter Raymond Lawson

One thing was certain for Peter Raymond Lawson his love for this world and its inhabitants. Whether you were a server at his favorite restaurant or his beloved wife of 44 years, his neighbor, or any of his five children, their spouses, children, and grandchildren, a parishioner, or a person he met on his travels, Peter paid attention and gave affirmation as evidence of his love. About everything else, Peter maintained his curiosity, learning from the experiences of life from its beginning to the end.

Born to Raymond Carl Lawson and Alice Borden Lawson in New Britain, Connecticut, Peter was the oldest of four siblings, Nancy L. Donahue (Lowell, MA), Cynthia L. Samoiloff (Winchester, Ma), and Anthony Lawson (deceased). A 1950 graduate of Brown University, Peter was drawn to ministry and attended the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, where he met and married his first spouse, Mary Helen. Ordained deacon, then priest in the Episcopal Church in 1957, Peter served 2 parishes in Connecticut before heeding calls to urban ministry in Newark, NJ and Indianapolis, IN. There he was elected dean of Christ Church Cathedral, leading that downtown congregation from 1964 to 1971. In a hiatus from congregations, Peter served as a gubernatorial campaign manager and an organizational development consultant before relocating to the Bay Area, where he met and married Danielle Durham Closson. They shared a wonderful ministry of love, Peter serving as the diocesan missioner and leading two congregations in the Diocese of California, where a Chinese parish in Oakland deeply influenced him. He retired from St. James Church, San Francisco after 12 years, and in retirement became an author and an influencer in the lives of many in Sonoma County. 

From the beginning of his life to the end, which came after 96 years and 64 days, Peter loved this life (“More damn fun!”) and loved each and every one of us. He is survived by his wife, Danielle, and his children, Kristor John (Marie Fiala), M. Elizabeth (Mike Eison), David B., Matthew Peter (Lori Sparzo), and Ruth Alice (David Beresford), 13 grandchildren and 18 greats. 

In 2024, to honor Peter’s 95th birthday, his children organized a family reunion and gathering of old friends.  He had said he didn’t want a funeral because he wouldn’t be there to enjoy the party.A celebration of his life will nevertheless be held at a later date. 

Contributions in Peter’s memory may be made to St. James Episcopal Church, San Francisco, www.stjamessf.org (donate button on home page allows you to select the right fund). To truly honor his memory, Peter’s family encourages you to learn something you didn’t know before, and to offer to another person the gift of love.