Sunday, December 24, 2023
In early 1966, I was a young airmen assigned to the US Air Force Water Port Liaison Office at North Pier, Yokohama, Japan. One of my co-workers (SSgt Donald Lawson) became my best friend and closest confidant. In fact, we were so close we became brothers, so to speak, We often referred to each other as "Brother from Another Mother". The familial connection was so strong I also referred to his wife Sharon as my "big sister". As a single man at the time I spent lots of my free hours at their house "baby sitting" a very young "Marcie". Sharon and Don honored me with the distinction of being dubbed Marcie's God-Father. Don, Sharon, and I bowled together in mixed leagues...played golf together, and had meals together. Although the family was reassigned back to the USA before me, our friendship stayed strong. As fate would have it our careers brought us close again many years later in England. In fact, our lives remained intertwined even into our post-Air Force careers as we (Don and I) entered the Department of Defense civilian workforce. After his retirement at Scott AFB, IL, and subsequent move to the Villages in Florida, my wife and I tried several times, in vain, to visit him and Sharon. Although my job commitments did not allow us the time to do so, we never lost contact with them...always exchanging cards during the holidays. Unfortunately, Sharon lost Don, and I lost my wife, within months of each other. Sharon and I spoke afterwards and she told me she was leaving their home in the Villages to be closer to Marcie. Afterwards, we continued to communicate with each other as "Facebook Friends". My friendship, with the Lawson family, spanned five and a half decades and is a treasure I will always cherish. I'll miss my "Big Sister"!!!
