Robert “Bob” E. Lawson

Bob Lawson was a true westerner, born in Ottawa, Kansas on March 16, 1929 to John Franklin Lawson and Pearl Geneva (Hjorth) Lawson.  He grew up in Kansas and Colorado, attending high school in Denver, Colorado.  Bob is survived by his wife, Patricia Lawson; five children, Cathy (Mark) Sharp, Robert E. (Deborah Calvin) Lawson, Jr., Kathy (Mark) Martin, Scott (Belinda Ghitis) Messinger, and Barry (Stephanie) Messinger; and six grandchildren, Taryn (Matt) Linder, Cody (Isen) Martin, Annalivia Messinger, Paige Messinger, Brynn Messinger, and Jordan M. Lawson.

Bob earned a BS from the University of Colorado, and a MS from the University of Maryland on scholarship.  Bob was a hospital pharmacy resident at The John Hopkins Hospital through the University of Maryland.  He held a Registered Pharmacist license since 1953 in Colorado, and a Nursing Home Administrator license since 1990 in Delaware.

Bob was an officer in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps.  He served in the Korean War, evacuating wounded troops from the front lines to M.A.S.H. units.  He retired from the Army Reserve with the rank of Captain in 1965.

Bob’s career spanned 44 years in healthcare management.  He published over 50 articles in national scientific and professional journals and healthcare periodicals.

After military service, Bob returned to the University of Maryland Hospital, then worked at Presbyterian University Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA.  He was a Hospital Administrator at the Delaware Division of the Wilmington Medical Center and at Temple University Hospital.  He was Vice President at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.  As Director of Consulting and Services for Presbyterian Health Resources Inc. in New York City, Bob held positions at Staten Island Hospital, Helen Hayes Hospital, and at Roswell Park Cancer Research in Buffalo, New York.  This earned him a Commissioner’s Special Achievement Award from the New York Commissioner of Health in 1988.  He was Executive Director of Delaware Health Care Facilities Association, focused on long-term healthcare for 11 years.

Bob served others in his life.  He became an Eagle Scout at age 16 and continued in scouting for 65 years.  He was active in the American Red Cross and National Aquatic School.  Bob founded and directed a non-profit boating and safety education school for 35 years known as the Eastern Shore Small Craft Institute.

Bob was appointed twice by the Governor of Delaware to serve on the State Board of Nursing and represented Delaware at the White House Conference on Aging.

Bob was a man of many hobbies.  He played clarinet and saxophone with his own dance band while in college, and loved to snow ski, scuba dive, camp, canoe, windsurf and most of all, to sail the Chesapeake on his Cape Dory sailboat.

Bob was an excellent cook, winning the state chicken cooking contest with his Chesapeake Chicken, which he perfected and served on his sailboat.  Bob went to Arkansas, representing Delaware with his chicken dish, and while there, had cocktails in the mansion of Governor Bill Clinton.

Bob will be missed by his wife, children, grandchildren and his many friends.

Services for Bob will be held privately and at the convenience of the family.