LAWTON, Patricia (Payne) 85, died at home in Waltham, MA, on July 30, 2017. Treated for pancreatic cancer in 2007, Pat was grateful to have beaten the odds for a decade, despite the complications that ultimately proved fatal. Pat was a longtime former resident of Cambridge, MA, and Los Angeles, her hometown, where she was the only child of Grayce (Winget) Payne and Guy Payne. Pat attended Stanford University and Radcliffe College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford, where she also earned a master’s degree. Pat was a writer, teacher, and scholar who got her PhD in anthropology from UCLA at age 68. Predeceased by her husband of 53 years, Neill, in 2016, Pat is survived by her daughters, Millicent Lawton (Lou Gardner) of Newton, MA, and Rebecca Lawton Flatters (Christopher Lawton Flatters) of Oyster Bay, NY, and the grandchildren of whom she was so proud: Claire Gardner and Eleanor and Teddy Lawton Flatters.
At Pat’s request, there was no formal service. Donations in her memory may be made to On The Rise, 341 Broadway, Cambridge, MA, 02139, www.ontherise.org.