Richard Allen Lawton

Richard was born Aug. 4, 1938, to Robert and Helen Lawton in Ritzville, and died on July 24. He was raised on the farm 10 miles north of Washtucna on Rattlesnake Flats by Fletcher.

He graduated St. Patrick’s High School in Walla Walla in 1956. He attended Carol College in Helena, Montana and graduated from the University of Portland in Oregon.

He taught school in Alaska at the Copper Valley School. While there, he experienced the great Alaska earthquake of 1964. He returned to the farm and began to take over its operation which he maintained for the rest of his life. He adopted and raised thre...