John F. Lawton, 80, of New Bedford died October 22, 2016 at St. Luke's Hospital after a brief illness.
Born in New Bedford, son of the late Lydia (Nye) and Ernest Lawton, Jr., he lived in New Bedford for all of his life.
Mr. Lawton was the proprietor of numerous travel agencies in the Greater New Bedford area. Prior to that, he worked at WBSM for 21 years. He also held real estate and advertising agency licenses.
He also loved to travel to Bermuda and later in his career, Jamaica where he developed many strong friendships. He enjoyed gardening and photography.
Mr. Lawton served in the U.S. Army.
Survivors include 2 sons, Arthur Lawton and his wife Kim of Fairhaven and Christopher Lawton of South Dartmouth; a daughter, Kathleen Coughlin and her husband Fran of Mattapoisett; his granddaughter, Rylie Coughlin of Mattapoisett; his former wife, Sarah D. (Souza) Lawton of Mattapoisett; a sister, Elizabeth Potter and her husband Dan of New Bedford; and several nieces and nephews.
His visiting hours will be held on Tuesday, October 25th from 4-8 PM at the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the American Lung Association at www.lung.org or mail to 14 Beacon St., Suite 717, Boston, MA 02108.