William E. (Pete) Lawton

WWII Army vet was Geico Insurance Co. retiree. William E. (Pete) Lawton, 87, died Thursday, January 17, 2008, in his home in Herndon, Va. He was born December 14, 1920, in West Middletown, a son of Ernest and Eula Lawton. Mr. Lawton was a U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II. He retired in 1988 from Geico Insurance Co. as a supervisor and was a member of American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Yellow Scorpion Fighter Squadron. He was the beloved husband of 61 years of Catherine J. Lawton; loving and devoted father of William E. Lawton Jr. of Fresno, Calif., and Barry A. Lawton of Myrtle Beach, S.C.; brother of Jean McAnallen of Washington; proud grandfather of Kathryn, Andrea, Nicholas and Brittany; and great-grandfather of four. Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday in William G. Neal Funeral Homes Ltd., 925 Allison Avenue, Washington, where services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, January 23, with the Rev. Jack E. Emerick officiating. Interment will follow in West Middletown Cemetery. The family suggests memorial contributions be made to Heartland Hospice, 3900 Jermantown Road, Suite 460, Fairfax, VA 22030.