Donald "Don" Lee Lawson

Donald “Don” Lee Lawson, born October 25, 1945, passed away on September 6, 2026. He leaves behind a life full of service, family, laughter, and the kind of stories that could keep a room smiling long after he finished telling them.

Don grew up in Anna and Melissa, Texas, and graduated from South Oak Cliff in 1964. He went on to serve in the United States Army from 1965 to 1968, including service in Vietnam, and received two Purple Hearts. In June of 1965, he married Jackie Faye Driver, beginning a partnership that shaped the heart of his life. Together they raised two daughters, Kimbra and Kelli, and made their home in Mesquite until the early 1970s, when they moved to Laguna Park.

Laguna Park became the place where Don built so much of his working life and community life. He owned and operated Drive Tire there for many years, becoming a familiar and dependable presence to many. He was also part of the West Shore VFD for most of his life. In his earlier years, he served as a scuba diver and fought numerous fires, and he later continued his commitment as a trustee of the fire department. It seems especially fitting that one of the last things he asked was whether the fire had been put out. Even near the end, that steady sense of duty and concern for others never left him.

Don knew how to enjoy the everyday things that make a life rich. He loved fishing and looked forward to going to Port Aransas every year. He enjoyed tinkering in his shed, collecting all kinds of random treasures, watching football and rodeo, and, with admirable honesty, midnight snacking. He was known for giving the funniest birthday cards, wearing a wonderfully weird smile in pictures, and always being willing to help. He loved cooking out with family and friends—really, anything that brought family together was where he was happiest.

He will also be remembered as a teller of many stories, the kind of man who could turn a memory into an event and an ordinary moment into something worth repeating. His humor, generosity, and unmistakable way of being himself made him easy to love and impossible to forget.

Don is survived by his daughters, Kimbra Atkinson and Kelli Lawson-Jones, and by Kelli’s husband, Aaron Jones. He is also survived by his brother Albert Lawson and Albert’s wife, Nicki Lawson. His family continued to grow in ways that brought him great joy, including his grandsons Michael Atkinson and his wife, Delanie Atkinson, and Jake Atkinson and his wife, Braxton Atkinson. He was also blessed with great-grandchildren Hayden Atkinson, Kayleigh Atkinson, Brantley Atkinson, and Halen Atkinson. The family he loved so well was the center of his life, and that love will carry his memory forward in the best possible way.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Jackie Lawson; his father, Lester Lawson; his mother, Helen Lawson; and his sister, Elaine Buckner.

A Celebration of Life for Don will be held on September 9, 2026, from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at West Shore Grill, 564 Texas 22, Laguna Park, Texas 76634.

Honorary Pallbearers are Robert Bleything, Michael Dorsey, Danny Burnett, Cody Degges, Michael Atkinson, Jake Atkinson, Aaron Jones, Chris Thomas, and Chris Eoff. 

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