LAWSON, MARY "AILEEN" Passed away peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday, August 5th, 2014 - one month after her 97th birthday - at the Westview Extended Care. She was predeceased by her cherished husband, John, as well as by her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Mattie and Karl Walser; her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Robert and Mary Lawson, and her brother-in-law, William Bennett. She was also predeceased by her niece and nephew-in-law, Lynne and Hubert Poschmann. Aileen is survived by her two sons, Ronald (Camille) and Kenneth (Nida); her sister, Edna Bennett; her granddaughter, Linda Lawson; nephews, Gary (Fiona) and Wayne Lawson, Donald Walser (Evelyn) and Jack Bennett; nieces, Judith Ahola (Sheldon), and Dianne and Sandra Lawson as well as other more extended family. Aileen was born in Vancouver, the eldest daughter of Robert and Lillian Carswell. She grew up near the Fraser River, where she frequently swam, and attended John Oliver High School. She married her husband, John, there in 1936 and that is where her two sons were born. At the end of the war, in 1946, Aileen and her family moved to Penticton where John Lawson Ltd., a plumbing, heating and welding business was started which flourished over the years until their retirement in the mid-1970's. Along the way, Aileen and her family became the first settlers to take up residence on Penticton's West Bench, following its initial development for veterans, and began a small cherry orchard on their land there. During her years in Penticton, Aileen was an active golfer, curler and enthusiastic bridge player. She was a member of the Penticton Golf Club and the Penticton Curling Club and won awards in both. She was also a member of the women's auxiliary to the local Knights of Pythias Lodge, Penticton Gyro Club, and the local Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion over the years. With the Legion, Aileen was instrumental in establishing a teenage baseball league in the city in the years prior to the arrival of the Little League organization. Later in life, she organized seniors bridge at the Penticton Retirement Centre where she lived for nearly 20 years. A Celebration of Life will be held for Aileen by close family members and friends at Everden Rust Funeral Home, 1130 Carmi Ave., Penticton, on October 20th, 2014, at 12:00 p.m., with burial of ashes to take place at Lakeview Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made on Aileen's behalf to the BC Children's Hospital Foundation with the family's thanks. Condolences may be shared by visiting www.everdenrust.com