Kenneth Lawson Obituary

Kenneth Edwin Lawson, age 87, of Bettendorf, Iowa passed away on Sunday, February 8, 2026, at the Davenport Lutheran Home.

Visitation will be held at 9:00 am, on Saturday, March 7, 2026 at St. John’s United Methodist Church, 109 E. 14th Street, Davenport, Iowa. A Memorial service will follow at 10:00 am with the Pastor Jeff Dadisman of St. John’s United Methodist Church officiating. Burial will follow at Forest Home Cemetery in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

Arrangements are by Trimble Funeral Home and Crematory in Moline, Illinois.

Ken was born in Kellogg, Iowa to Ward Edwin Lawson and Freda Belle (Varner) Lawson on May 26, 1938. He graduated from Davenport High School in 1956. He proudly served in the Iowa National Guard from 1959 to 1963. He later served in the United States Army as a reserve until 1965.

He attended St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa for pre-engineering classes and graduated in 1963 from Blackhawk Community College in Moline, Illinois with a degree in Pre-Engineering Business. While working at Burroughs as a Service Technician, he met Doris M. Shellabarger at Henry County Saving Bank located in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. He married Doris on September 28, 1962 in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. From this marriage, two adorable daughters were born, Vicki and Sheri.

He worked at John Deere and Iowa Gas and Electric before pursuing a lifelong career path as a life insurance agent in 1967. Over the years, he became a financial planner as well, owning and operating his own business Lawson Financial Services, Inc.

After Doris’s passing in 2002, he married Alys Jo (McGowan) Nelson on February 15, 2003 in Davenport, Iowa.

He loved watching classic movies presented by the Open Cities Film Society and dancing with Jo. He also enjoyed listening to Jo play her piano and bells and sing in the choir at church; genealogy; attending airshows; and car rallies and monthly breakfasts sponsored by the Valley Sports Car Club and the Headers Hot Rod Club.

Ken is preceded in death by his parents, first wife Doris (March 16, 2002); second wife Jo (July 14, 2025); Brother-in-laws Wendell K. Shellabarger (March 2, 2022); Thomas L McGowan (October 13, 2023), and several cousins.

Ken is survived by his two daughters, Vicki (Dave) Poe of Nederland, Colorado and Sheri (Jim) Jandik of rural New Virginia, Iowa; Sister-in-law Martha (Darrel) Ridenour and their sons, Nick and Jeff; Sister-in-law Charlene Shellabarger and her son David and daughter Diane Futer; Brother-in-law Burton (Doris) Shellabarger, as well as many cousins and loved family members.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial gift can be made to the Youth Ministry of St. John’s United Methodist Church, or the Hospice organization that supported both Ken and Jo: Trinity Health Foundation (Quad Cities) https://www.unitypoint.org/giving/trinity-quad-cities-foundation.

We want to extend our sincere thanks to all the doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff of Trinity Health; the staff at Meadowview and Lutheran Home; those from hospice who sat with Ken; Pastor Jeff from St. John's United Methodist Church, as well as his many friends and neighbors. A special thank you to his favorite caregiver, Shana Sourwine who also took care of Jo. All of you have been a blessing.