Tommy Lawson

Interment for Tommy Lawson will be held at 11:00 AM, Monday, August 23, 2021 at Hughes Cemetery, Dog Canyon, NM.

Family and friends will gather to celebrate the life of Thomas Daniel (Tommy) Lawson, 83, of Carlsbad, NM. Visitation will be 4 PM – 6 PM, Friday, August 13, 2021 at Denton-Wood Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held Saturday, August 14, 2021, 10:00 AM at First Baptist Church with Pastor Bob Bacon officiating.
Tommy was born January 9, 1938 in Caddo Mills, Texas to Carl A. and Ouida (Bearding) Lawson. He moved with his family to Dallas, Texas in 1943, and then to Carlsbad, NM in 1948, where he attended school and graduated in May 1956. Tommy grew up attending Hillcrest Baptist Church where, as a high school senior, dedicated his life to the Lord for special service. He began serving in the ministry as an interim pastor at Happy Valley Baptist Church from January to May, 1956. Tommy also joined the Army, as a high school senior upon graduating and was station at Ft. Bliss Army Base in El Paso, Texas. He went on to serve in the Army Reserves and the National Guard, attending Officers Candidate Training School in Santa Fe, NM. After 23 years of service, he retired in the position of Major. In September, 1957, he married Carolyn Ann Ross, and together they had three children: Cyndi Lawson Trower, Colleen Lawson Rogers, and Thomas Ross Lawson. Tommy attended Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, and while attending, he served as pastor at Bethel Baptist Church in Roby, Texas. He moved back to Carlsbad in 1959 and went to work in the grocery store business. In 1962, he began bi-vocational ministry and held church services once a month at the El Paso Gap schoolhouse in Dog Canyon for the area ranchers and their families. He faithfully led these services for 17 years and developed a special love and appreciation for the ranching families who attended. After serving at El Paso Gap, he became the pastor at Otis Baptist Church in Carlsbad where he served for 5 years. In March 1965, Tommy went to work for IMCC Potash Company, where he spent 14 years in the Surface Maintenance Department and 20 years in the Safety Department, retiring in March 1999. After retiring from IMCC, he went to work for Constructor’s Inc., where he worked for 5 years, and then permanently retired. In October 1987, he married Betty Gail Caudill. They are members of First Baptist Church, where they have served as Sunday School teachers.
Tommy had a huge servant’s heart and enjoyed lending a helping hand to any who had a need. He was well-known and loved in the community, where he preached the gospel at various churches and conducted many weddings and funerals over the years. He was a skilled welder with a talent for making beautiful metal décor. He also had a great love for horses and all things “western”, was a wonderful bar-b-que cook, and enjoyed deer hunting in the Guadalupe Mountains. He was also known to pull pranks on the unsuspecting, and perform his authentic-sounding animal voices for kids of all ages. But his greatest love was preaching the word and leading others to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. He will be greatly missed by his family, his friends, and the many people whose lives he touched in his unique and special way. Tommy was preceded in death by his parents, Carl and Ouida Lawson; grandson, Josh McPherson and son-in-law, Larry Trower. He is survived by his wife, Betty of Carlsbad; his three children and their spouses: Cyndi Trower of Lubbock, Texas, Colleen Rogers and husband, Mike of Carlsbad and Ross Lawson and wife, Karen of Lubbock, Texas; two stepsons and their spouses: Carroll Caudill and wife, Carolyn of Carlsbad, Chris Caudill and wife, Connie of Rogers, Arkansas; 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren; sister, Leta Wilson and husband, Leland of Ft. Worth, Texas and one niece and one nephew.
Memorial contributions may be made to New Mexico Baptist Children’s Home, PO Box 629, Portales, NM 88130 or to The Baptist Convention of New Mexico, Disaster Relief Fund, PO Box 94485, Albuquerque, NM 87199
Condolences may be expressed at dentonwood.com