Charlie Harrell Lawson

Mr. Charlie Harrell Lawson of Stone Mountain, GA, formerly of Sparta, GA transitioned to final rest on Monday, April 17, 2023. Public Viewing will be held on Friday, April 21, 2023, from 5:00pm - closing, Ingram Brothers Chapel. Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, April 22, 2023, 11:00am St Paul CME Church, Sparta, GA.  Interment will be held at Pine Crest Memorial Gardens, Moultrie, GA.

Charlie Harrell Lawson, more affectionately known as Hal, was born in the “Jim Tucker Bottom “of Washington County Georgia on June 19, 1950. Hal considered his birthday to be a national holiday long before it became known as Juneteenth. He was the first child and son of the late Mr. Horace Lawson & Mrs. Roxie Anna Armstrong Lawson.

Hal’s educational journey began at Galilee Elementary School, and he quickly advanced to Hancock Central High School where he graduated early at the age of 15.  He then matriculated through Morehouse College where he received a BA in Business Administration and later an MBA from Georgia College. While completing his master’s degree, he started a lifelong journey of revitalizing his hometown of Sparta and even ran for County Tax Commissioner. Though his political aspirations were short-lived, it further ignited his passion for the growth and development of his hometown.

Hal began his illustrious career in telecommunications at GTE (Verizon) in Moultrie, Ga. While living in Moultrie, he was elected as the local NAACP President and crossed the burning sands by joining the Al Rankin chapter 142 of the Freemasons. Arguably his biggest accomplishment in Moultrie was meeting his wife and the love of his life Mildred Harris. They were wed on April 18, 1981, and started their family with their loving children Kimberlee & Kelvin. 

Shortly after marriage, Hal relocated his family to Durham, NC, where he continued his career at GTE (Verizon), but also began a career in real estate.  He started Triangle Realty and became a successful real estate broker and brokerage owner. Hal and his family lived for many years in NC and he ultimately retired from GTE (Verizon). He had a few short years of retired bliss before he was recruited by Verizon Wireless to come back as a Principal Engineer. This new position brought him and his family back to Georgia, outside of metro Atlanta in Stone Mountain. 

This move and position was exciting for him, as he was able to be back closer to his beloved hometown of Sparta and able to lend more of his time and talents to various committees, and county & civic organizations in the community. Hal was very active on the Sparta Hancock Development Authority, Friends of Hancock Cemeteries and was on the Board of Directors for Neighbors Caring About Neighbors to name a few.  There are many other organizations and roles Harrell played in his hometown with the desire to make it a better place to live. 

Though he had many roles in his hometown, his greatest work was with his childhood church, St. Paul C.M.E. He was a faithful steward and Chairman of the Trustee Board. He was instrumental in the revitalization of the church membership and spearheaded the acquisition of funding to rebuild the current church edifice. Hal worked closely with members of the community to secure the land, relocate and restore the original 1880s church bell to be displayed in front of the new location. Hal was the project manager and oversaw the construction of the new church as well as even placed the new church sign out front. His business acumen allowed him to help the church thrive physically, spiritually, and financially. 

Harrell had many passions, and one that intrigued him the most was genealogy. He was an avid traveler and loved to immerse himself in various cultures. He also loved to explore his own family roots and had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with author Kent Anderson Leslie on historical information in the book “Woman of Color, Daughter of Privilege.” This book later became an HBO television special called “A House Divided”, which was based on his ancestor Amanda America Dickson Toomer. Hal always emphasized the importance of knowing who you are and where you come from. He shared a great deal of his ancestral knowledge and understanding with everyone he encountered until the lord called him home on Monday, April 17, 2023.

Anyone that knew Hal, enjoyed his charismatic personality and appreciated his joy of helping others. Hal truly enjoyed his retirement and spending time with his grandson and traveling between his homes in Sparta, Stone Mountain, and Norman Park, Georgia. He lived a life where he was loved and will truly be missed.

He is preceded in death by his son, Christopher Griffin, brother, Shedrick Lawson, sister Mable LaVerne Lawson-Jack and cousin David Armstrong, who was raised as a brother.

Hal is survived by his wife Mildred, daughter Kimberlee Young (Tony) and son Kelvin Lawson; grandson Liam Young; brother Arthur Lawson and sister Valerie Lawson; Sister-in-law, Sandra Davis; nieces Kala Leonard, Kris Harris, Jacinda Jack-Dennis (Ronnie), Portia Graham (Omar), April Kearney (Justin), Amelia Lawson, Chambria Leslie, Aryana Lawson and Arleda Lawson and nephews Cedric Harris, Trevor Lawson, Kory Leslie, and Fredrick Leslie; and several grandnieces and grandnephews. Uncle, Charles A (Johnnie) Clayton. Mother-in-law, Louetta Harris; and many dear friends.

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