Lawson Duhan was born in 1927 to doting parents Frederick William and Lillie Beatley Duhan of Baltimore, Maryland. An intellectual from the start, he graduated from Germantown High School in Philadelphia, PA. During the second World War, he served in the Army Corps of Engineers drawing aerial-view maps, which led him to a lifelong fascination with geography. Following the war, he earned a degree in Applied Mechanics Engineering from John Brown University and went on to study at Columbia Bible College, where he met his future wife, Sara Jamison.
Led by an insatiable curiosity, love of adventure, and devotion to serving their Lord, Jesus Christ, Lawson and Sara immigrated to Afghanistan two weeks after their wedding in May of 1952. Under a contract with the University of Wyoming at the request of King Zahir Shah, Lawson taught Physics and Math to students at Habibia College.
As their family grew, Lawson and Sara moved to Greensboro, North Carolina where they raised their six children. Lawson was a devoted member of Westover Church and served as a Christian Service Brigade leader for many years. Dabbling in almost every aspect of real estate, Lawson began “Lawson Quality Construction.” Once the children had grown, Lawson and Sara travelled to Pakistan, where they taught English as a second language for eleven years.
After returning to Greensboro, Lawson resumed his work in Real Estate. Tireless and dedicated, Lawson never retired, preferring to spend his days solving problems, cleverly redesigning houses, and working on projects with his family. His curiosity never left him and he pursued every opportunity to discover new ideas and skills. Every day for him was a new adventure. He will be greatly missed by those who loved him.
Lawson was predeceased by his parents (Bill and Lillie Duhan), wife (Sara Jamison), and son (Phillip Wesley Duhan). He leaves behind two sons, Nathan (Lori), Tim (Theresa); three daughters, Rebecca O’Hare (Rick), Lynne Anderson (Jeffery), Lydia Ellisor; fifteen Grandchildren, Aaron O’Hare (Stacy), Hannah Riddle (Aaron), Micah O’Hare (Virginia), Isaac O’Hare (Caroline), Eliza O’Hare, Joshua O’Hare, Jamison Allen, Michael Allen, Sara Wilson (Tommy), Drew Ellisor (Seo-Bin), Trent Duhan, Stephanie Reynolds (Bradley), Morgan Duhan, Madison Duhan, Brenton Duhan.
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