|
| |
William C. “Bill” Lawter, Jr. of Ponca City, OK passed away June 9, 2026. He was 80 years old.
Bill was born July 27, 1945, in Topeka, KS, the first of three children to Bill and Tillie Lawter. Growing up in Kansas, Bill thrived on the close relationships in his family, including his grandparents Clifford and Mary Bezingue.
Attending Baker University in Baldwin City, KS, Bill engaged in numerous campus activities and was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity, serving as chapter president and forming enduring bonds of friendship. He graduated in 1967 with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry and biology.
While at Baker, Bill met Susan Garbett. On what he called the luckiest day of his life. Bill and Sue were married August 10, 1968. They spent 57 wonderful years together traveling the world and raising their daughter Allison, who Bill called his pride and joy.
Bill continued his education at Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, KS, earning his Juris Doctorate in 1970 and making life-long friends along the way. After graduation, Bill and Sue moved to Oyster Bay, NY where Bill earned a Master of Law in taxation from New York University. Bill was admitted to the Kansas State Bar, the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, the United States Tax Court, and the Supreme Court of the United States.
Following graduation from NYU, Bill took a job with Conoco, where he enjoyed a career spanning over 30 years in offices across the country. Retiring in 2002 as Manager, Employee Benefits in Ponca City, Bill and close friends from Conoco started Write Communications, with Bill serving as Vice President.
Although Bill had a full and rewarding professional career, he was well-known for his personal interests and projects. Most notably, Bill developed a love for travel after a summer as a foreign exchange student to England. Armed with a love of history and insatiable curiosity, he spent time in all 50 states and visited over 200 foreign countries, including two trips around the world. And while he loved putting pins in the map, Bill was most enthusiastic about meeting new people, and he relished sharing those experiences with friends and family who tagged along. Bill cherished every interaction, sending long missives home detailing the lives of random strangers half a world away who were now his friends.
Fueled by a desire to share the world with a broader audience, Bill documented his adventures in travel articles published in newspapers and magazines across the nation. His wanderlust also took him to Capitan, NM where he learned the story of Smokey Bear. Bill became so enamored with Smokey that he meticulously researched and authored the book Smokey Bear 20252, published in 1994.
Involved in numerous organizations in Ponca City, Bill most recently engaged with the Ponca City Police Department. After graduating from the Citizens Police Academy, Bill took such a personal interest in the people there that he became a fixture around the department, volunteering on projects, joining the Ponca City Police Foundation, and again, writing about his experience.
Bill is survived by his wife Susan Lawter of Ponca City, daughter Allison Lawter of Alexandria, VA, sister Mary Lou McKee of Independence, MO, niece Shannon Morse of Kennedale, TX, and nephew Scott McKee of Lee’s Summit, MO. He is preceded in death by his father William C. Lawter, his mother Clotilda M. “Tillie” Lawter, and his brother James R. Lawter, of Topeka. KS.A memorial service will be held on June 26, 2026, at 1pm at First United Methodist Church in Ponca City,.Those unable to attend the Funeral Ceremony, may attend virtually on the Trout Funeral Home website, www.troutfuneralhome.com and click on the live-stream or toolbar icon on the top right corner after 12:45 PM. The family invites you to a reception and toast to Bill immediately following the service at The Summit on the lower level of City Central 400 East Central Ponca City
Arrangements are under the direction of Trout Funeral Home & Crematory, 505 W Grand Ave, Ponca City, OK 74601.
In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting a local Ponca City charity, or getting out to see the world in Bill’s honor, even if it’s just a day trip to someplace you’ve never been.
This site may be freely linked, but not duplicated in any way without consent.
All rights reserved! Commercial use of material within this site is prohibited!
© 2000-2026 Oklahoma CemeteriesThe information on this site is provided free for the purpose of researching your genealogy. This material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, for your own research, as long as this message remains on all copied material. The information contained in this site may not be copied to any other site without written "snail-mail" permission. If you wish to have a copy of a donor's material, you must have their permission. All information found on these pages is under copyright of Oklahoma Cemeteries. This is to protect any and all information donated. The original submitter or source of the information will retain their copyright. Unless otherwise stated, any donated material is given to Oklahoma Cemeteries to make it available online. This material will always be available at no cost, it will always remain free to the researcher.