Obituary

Richard Lee Lawhon
(May 4, 1936 - August 1, 2019)

Richard Lee Lawhon, 83, of Lesage, left this temporary home on earth and entered into his eternal home of heaven on August 1, 2019. Richard was born on May 4, 1936 in Huntington, a son of the late Catherine and Joseph Lawhon. He was a graduate of Barboursville High School. On July 11, 1959, he married Juanita Watts and they were blessed to share 60 glorious years of calling each other sweetheart. Richard retired after working 30 years at what is now known as Special Metals. Soon after, he began selling windows for St. Albans Windows. Throughout his life, Richard was known for his love of antique cars, going to car shows and cruise-ins, as well as buying and fixing up older model Chryslers and Dodges. Richard dedicated his life to following Christ and sharing the news of God’s love to others. He served in various roles in the churches he attended, most recently that of Sunday School teacher at Olive Baptist Church. He enjoyed singing in the choir and the fellowship he had with his extended church family. Richard was known throughout his life for making people laugh, along with his artistic abilities he shared with those closest to him. To all that knew him, he never met a stranger. Richard is survived by his wife, Juanita, daughters and sons-in-law Debbie and Matt Smith and Carolyn and Arthur Dean; son Rick Lawhon, step-daughter Pam Pratt, his forever-cherished granddaughters Lauren (Andrew) Thompson, Kaitlin (Ernst) van den Berg, and Kinslee Dean, along with the highlights of his golden years, great-grandsons Tate and Tucker Thompson and great-granddaughter Mila van den Berg, with an additional van den Berg set to arrive in March. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, JoAnn Bowyer. He also leaves behind one brother, Gary Lawhon, along with two sisters, Linda Casto and Jeanette Fleshman. Visitation is scheduled for Saturday, August 3, 2019 from noon - 2:00 p.m. at Wallace Funeral Home in Barboursville, followed by funeral services at 2:00 p.m. Burial will be in Ridgelawn Memorial Park, Huntington. The family would like to thank all those who visited and kept Richard close to their hearts in prayer during his extended illness over this past year. In addition, a special thank you to Dr. Matthew Harris and staff, the health care professionals of St. Mary’s Hospital and the Emogene Dolin Jones Hospice House for their care and kindness shown to Richard during his stay with them. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to the Olive Baptist Church Backpack Ministry in which food is provided to local school children.