Joseph A. Lawlor, 76, of New London, IA and formerly of Fort Madison, passed away at 10:52 a.m. on Monday, February 23, 2026 at the University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City. He was born on December 7, 1949 in Fort Madison, IA to Edmund & Genevieve Cooper Lawlor. He was married to Gail Kohne for 35 years, they later divorced. He was a social worker with mentally handicapped adults and later children for most of his career. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War and was a lifelong member of Boy Scouts of America and enjoyed working at Camp Eastman. He loved fishing, was an avid outdoorsman and nature lover and Iowa Hawkeye fan. The past two years, he was a professional Santa Clause.
Joe is survived by: 1-son: Jeff (Sarah) Lawlor of Burlington, IA; 1-daughter: Jennifer Lawlor of Ojai, CA; 5-grandchildren: Brendan Lawlor, Aryn Lawlor, Jeffrey Lawlor II, Kaiser Lawlor and Asher Lawlor-Lizarraga; 1-sister: Genevieve Kreie of Washington; 2-brothers: Dan Lawlor of Florida & Ed Lawlor of California. He was preceded in death by his parents and stepmother, Lucille Lawlor.
A visitation will be held from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Friday, February 27, 2026 at King-Lynk Funeral Home & Crematory. The funeral service will be held at 10:30 immediately following the visitation with Rev. Chad Savage officiating. A memorial has been established for Camp Eastman. Online condolences to the Lawlor family may be left at the King-Lynk Funeral Home & Crematory website: www.kinglynk.com.
