On Dec. 28, Pat and Andy Lawless would have been married 50 years. And surely, the couple known throughout Centreville for their annual Twelfth Night parties would have had a gala celebration with family and friends.
But Andy's death Monday night robbed them of all the plans and dreams they had for the rest of their life together. And on Monday, Aug. 20, he'll be buried in the small cemetery outside St. John's Episcopal Church, next to his beloved granddaughter Rachel, who also died of cancer, six years ago, at age 6.
"He and Mom met when she was 17," said daughter Meg Crossett, of Pleasant Hill. "After he died, she asked me, 'What will I do?' They'd worked so hard for this time together, and now it's gone."
BOTH ANDY AND PAT worked for Long & Foster, Realtors, for 25 years, retiring at the end of 2005. Then they bought an RV and took off for a 10-month trip across country. "They especially enjoyed Southern California by San Diego, and the Oregon coast," said Crossett. "They liked it all."
Andy's favorite hobby and passion was WWII and, said Crossett, "He accumulated an extensive library, knew every battle, watched every movie about it he could find and was a docent at the Air and Space Museum. And on their RV trip, he visited all the WWII museums along the way."
He was also a model-railroad, Lionel trains buff, and he enjoyed taking his grandchildren to model-train shows in the area. He also took them to both see and ride on real steam engines.
Lawless was born and raised in Philadelphia and was proud of his roots. And for his 60th-birthday party, Pat treated their guests to authentic foods from his hometown.
They were original Greenbriar residents and Andy served as Greenbriar Civic Association president and was instrumental in helping establish the community's Fourth of July fireworks celebration which ran for several years. And in Greenbriar, Centreville's Historic District and Virginia Run, they raised their family.
Besides Meg, they're parents to son Drew Lawless of Virginia Run and daughters Beth Lawless of Sully Station and Stephanie Dagata of Balmoral, and grandparents to: Andrew, Robert, Sarah, James, Rachel and Catherine Crossett; A.V. (Andrew V), Patrick and Ava Lawless; Autumn Russell; and Jessie, Gabbie and Jack Dagata.
They all called Andy "Popi" and, said Meg Crossett, "Each one thought they were his favorite. He was the best. He was well-loved and he loved us. He always had a big smile and always wanted us to be around."
And if he was anywhere near a garden hose, she said, he'd squirt them, as a joke. Said Crossett: "As he was dying, my sister Stephanie asked him to let us know he was still around [in spirit] by giving us a squirt sometimes."
A LOVING, tight-knit family, the Lawless clan gathered each summer at their summer home in Ocean City. But this year, Pat and Andy went there in mid-May and planned to spend their first, whole summer there. Said Crossett: "They were just getting ready to enjoy themselves."
Andy had undergone internal surgery in March and seemed to be recovering. But in June, he didn't feel well, so he saw a doctor. Unfortunately, though, his cancer wasn't discovered until he went into the hospital in nearby Berlin, Md., on Aug. 1. And by then, it was spreading quickly.
"He started getting worse on Sunday, [Aug. 12], and he told my mom to gather everyone, and everyone came," said Crossett. Monday night, a priest gave him the Last Rights and, five minutes later, he passed away.
Viewing will be held Sunday, Aug. 19, from 2-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m., at Pierce Price Funeral Home, 9609 Center St., Manassas. Funeral services are Monday, Aug. 20, at 10:30 a.m., at St. Timothy Catholic Church, 13807 Poplar Tree Road, Chantilly, with burial at St. John's Episcopal Church, 5649 Mount Gilead Road, Centreville.
Memorial donations may be sent to either: Make a Wish Foundation, 10920 Connecticut Ave., Suite 1600, Kensington, MD 20895, or Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation/Research, P.O. Box 498, Kensington, MD 20895.