Billie Lawton

Billie C. Lawton, of Minneapolis, passed away on April 24th at the age of 86. In life and in her dying, she was surrounded by her loving family which she fostered throughout her long and well-lived life. Billie had a far-ranging intellect honed by her association with the University of Minnesota from which she received her undergraduate and post-graduate degrees and at which she served for many years as the Director of Pre-Major Advising Programs in the College of Liberal Arts. She embodied the motto of the Phi Beta Kappa Society ("Love of learning is the guide of life") into which she was inducted at a time when few women were so honored. Billie was also a consummate cook, hostess and world traveler with an unerring sense of style and decorum. In addition to French class, bridge club, book club and Pilates, she served two terms on the Minnesota Board of Architecture and was a volunteer at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Billie was born in 1925 to Esther and Mike Cohen. She is survived by three sons, Marc Pritzker, Fred (Renee) Pritzker and Tom (Joanne Sunquist) Pritzker and six grandchildren, Josh, Laura, Jacob, Sarah, Billie and Sam (all Pritzkers). Her late husband, James Lawton, M.D., passed away in 2000.
The family wishes to thank her compassionate and skilled caregivers including Billie’s friend and long-time physician, David Plimpton, M.D. For those inclined to make a contribution in Billie’s honor, it was her wish to have it directed to either the Angelman Syndrome Foundation (www.angelman.org) or the University of Minnesota Foundation (www.giving.umn.edu). Funeral service FRIDAY 12 NOON, TEMPLE ISRAEL, 2324 Emerson Ave. S., Minneapolis. NO SHIVA.