Robert Lawless

Robert (Bob) Joseph Lawless of Santa Fe died February 12 at the age of 84, after valiantly battling prostate cancer for nearly 5 years. A native of Staten Island, NY, he was born to Robert J. Lawless and Gertrude McGregor Lawless on May 21, 1923. As a teenager, he worked as a lifeguard at New Dorp Beach in Staten Island, NY, and graduated from New Dorp High School In 1941. During World War II, Bob enlisted in the US Navel Reserve. He served as a Fire Controlman Third Class aboard the destroyer USS Barney (DD149), patrolling the North Atlantic and the West Indies. At a USO dance in Boston, the young sailor met Janice Ochs of Arlington, MA. They married in 1945, and had six children. They were divorced in 1963. Bob worked as a broadcast engineer at a Boston radio station WVOM (Voice of Massachusetts) from 1948 to 1955. In 1956, he began working as an electronics engineer at missile bases across the United States: Cape Canaveral (FL); Holloman Airforce Base (NM); and Vandenberg Air Force Base (CA). In 1961, the family settled in Santa Fe, where Bob worked at the New Mexico State Highway Department for 25 years, retiring in 1986. In the winter, he often snow shoed to the mountain tops to check emergency radio transmissions. He was active in the Toastmasters Club and later in the Retired Public Employees of New Mexico, Local Santa Fe Chapter 8. In 1972, Bob married the former Violet Ferguson. He and Violet were well known in square and round-dance groups, including the Sashay Rounders, where they lightly stepped to the music for decades. They also enjoyed playing bridge, taking cruises, and traveling worldwide. They faithfully attended St. John's Methodist Church for services and Bible study, and were avid early morning walkers at Villa Linda Mall. Bob also developed a passion for genealogy and learned to use a computer so that he could research his family history. Bob is survived by his wife, Violet, with whom he recently celebrated their 35th anniversary; his children, Barbara Lawless of Alameda, CA; Christine Lawless Riedel (Gary) of Albuquerque; Richard Lawless (Jane) of Colorado Springs; David Lawless of Boston; Brian Lawless (Laurie Anderson) of Hamilton, MT; his sister, Therese Fogarty (Bill), of Staten Island, NY; granddaughter Roberta Baca of Albuquerque; eight nieces and nephews and numerous grandnieces and grandnephews in New York and North Carolina; and his stepchildren, Dolores Borland (Pat) of Albuquerque, and Roland Ferguson (Georgia) of Sedona, AZ. He will be also mourned by his children's half sister, Andrea Tate Caldera of Santa Fe, her husband Daniel Caldera, and their daughters, Andrea and Gabriella. Bob was preceded in death by his son Gerard Lawless of Marlborough, MA; his brother Joseph Lawless of Staten Island, NY; and sister Rose McPhillips of Raleigh, NC. Friends are invited to a celebration of his life at St. Johns United Methodist Church on Friday, February 22, 2008, at 11:00am. He will be buried in Santa Fe National Cemetery in a private ceremony. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Presbyterian Hospice In-patient Unit in Albuquerque: 8300 Constitutions NE Albuquerque NM, 87110. Santa Fe Funeral Options 417 East Rodeo Road Santa Fe, NM 87505 (505) 989-7032