Natalie V. (Vogel) Lawton, 90, of State Street, Westerly, passed away on Wednesday morning, April 2, 2014, at the Apple Rehab Watch Hill.
She was pre-deceased by her husband, Arthur Newman Lawton, on January 25, 1995, whom she met while vacationing at Watch Hill. After they married in 1954, she moved to Westerly. She is survived by her son, Allen D. Lawton of Westerly, her sister-in-law, Mary Lawton of Westerly and several cousins, nieces and nephews.
Mrs. Lawton was born in New Bedford, MA, on June 30, 1923, the daughter of the late Ellery and Sarah (Lewis) Vogel. She spent her early years in Northampton and Longmeadow, MA. She was a graduate of the Northampton School for Girls (now known as Williston- Northampton Academy), Lasell Junior College (now known as Lasell College) in Newton, MA, and Tobe’ Coburn School in New York City. She majored in merchandising in college.
Upon graduation from Tobe’ Coburn, she worked in the B. Altman’s department store in NYC and then moved to Hartford where she was a section manager in the former G. Fox & Co. She also worked for Todd’s and Town & Country in South Hadley and Falmouth, MA and as a teller and service department clerk in the Springfield Five Cents Savings Bank. She was a medical librarian for 24 years at the Westerly Hospital and also the medical education coordinator for the medical staff. She was a member of the Rhode Island Health Sciences Library Association, the North Atlantic Health Sciences Librarians and the Medical Library Association. She received certificates in Medical Librarianship at URI and the Postgraduate Medical Institute in Boston. Along with her work at the hospital and community activities, she enjoyed painting and belonged to the Tuesday Painting Group with her friends.
She was a member of Christ Church of Westerly and was the coordinator of the Living Supplies Closet, a community outreach program for which she received the Jefferson Award in the category “Greatest Public Service Benefiting a Local Community.” She was also convenor of the Community Outreach and Service Commission at Christ Church.