Irwin T. Lawson

Irwin Thomas Lawson, 61, of Ellensburg, WA, died on May 1, 2025, after 4 years battling ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), a degenerative, terminal illness affecting the motor neurons.

Irwin was born in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, in 1964 to Harold and Elinor Lawson, who taught him to love Jesus and appreciate the outdoors. Irwin’s family roots are deep in this area, as both sides go back at least 3 generations. In the summer, Irwin loved waterskiing and boating on the St. Mary’s River. In the winter, he loved riding snow machines with his family. Irwin always had an interest in airplanes and family trips to aerospace museums sparked his interest in aviation as a career. In high school, Irwin enjoyed playing basketball and football and hanging out with many friends. Irwin attended Sault Area Highschool before studying Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University. After college, Irwin pursued a career in aerospace.

Aerospace took Irwin to California, where he met the love of his life, Jean (Beiter) Lawson, through his cousins. They remained friends for more than eleven years, seeing each other on occasion when the friends got together. It was at one of these reunions at the Reno Air Races, a favorite event for the friend group, that their romance began. They married a few months later in April 1998.

Irwin and Jean have two children, Thomas and Grace. The family enjoyed many adventures, including camping, hiking, sports, mountain biking, and traveling to see grandparents in Upper Michigan and Washington State. Irwin was a great Dad and loved his family very much. Irwin’s kids were his pride and joy. He was a great “life coach” to them, teaching them how to think for themselves, to question things, even God, and study the Bible for truth and answers to life. He was very proud of their many accomplishments, but most of all that each of them loves Jesus first and have become young adults of sound character.

After a few years in aerospace, Irwin returned to his hometown to do civil engineering at the Soo Locks for the US Army Corp of Engineers. This reconnected him with his childhood friends and family, as his father had been the Chief Engineer at the Soo Locks, as well as the Area Engineer for the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District. Although Irwin enjoyed these years, aerospace continued to interest him, so he made another change, moving to Wichita, Kansas, to work for Cessna. There Irwin enjoyed the strong collaboration between the engineers and the shop floor. He also took the opportunity to get his private pilot’s license.

Irwin’s area of expertise was Thermal Analysis, where he designed and tested Environmental Control Systems for planes. He had the privilege of working at Lockheed Martin Corporation on projects such as the F22 Raptor and the F117 Stealth Fighter. Later Irwin worked for Northrop Grumman Corporation on the Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. Irwin completed his career back at Lockheed Martin Corporation. He loved his work in aerospace and was proud to be able to contribute to the defense of his country in this way. He also truly cared for those who worked with him. He formed a mountain biking group with co-workers to build camaraderie, enjoyed mentoring younger engineers, and made a point to help colleagues advance. He did his best to ensure that those he managed were recognized for their work and advocated for colleagues whenever possible.

The most important thing in Irwin’s life was his faith in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He remained committed to Christ throughout his life and illness, never complaining as he lost abilities. Irwin found comfort knowing that he would join Jesus in heaven and that God would take care of his family as well. Jesus was his anchor, his guide in life, and his source of peace.

Throughout his life Irwin was known for his great sense of humor, quick smile, fun-loving personality, kindness and generosity. He cared a great deal about his friends and colleagues. He was faithful to God, committed to his family, a good friend, and proud to be a Yooper! He will be missed greatly.

There will be a Celebration of Life service in Irwin's hometown of Sault Ste Marie, MI (Upper Peninsula) on July 18, 2025. The service will be at Bruce Township Hall, 3156 E 12 Mile Rd, Dafter, MI 49724 at 2pm, with a reception and meal following. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Jean’s email (for planning purposes): mydogkenai@yahoo.com.

Irwin wanted donations to go to Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF). They are a Christian organization that uses small (bush) planes in remote areas to support Christian missions, medical programs and relief and development work. Jean’s dad was an MAF pilot in Indonesia and Afghanistan throughout his career, so this is a personal connection (Jean also lived in those countries growing up). Aviation + Christian = “Dad thought they were cool.” If you are interested, donation information is below.

Mission Aviation Fellowship -- https://maf.org/

• * Select the DONATE tab and follow the prompts
• * WHERE SHOULD YOUR GIFT GO? Click in the box for selections
• * At the bottom of the "YOUR INFORMATION" section, select "TRIBUTE GIFT"
  1. > Tribute Name: Irwin Lawson
  2. > Tribute Type: Memorial
  3. > Tribute Message: whatever you want
  4. > Recipient Name: Jean Lawson
  5. > Recipient Info: mydogkenai@yahoo.com
  6. > Notification Pref: Email
• * The gift will go directly to MAF. They will notify Jean. You will receive a tax-deductible receipt and thank you from MAF.
• * If you prefer to donate by check, you can mail it to: Mission Aviation Fellowship, PO Box 47, Nampa, ID 83653. Write "In memory of Irwin Lawson" on the memo line.
• * If you prefer to give anonymously, that's fine as well, check that box.