SAN DIEGO — Anita Satlof Lawson, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, cousin, and friend, passed away peacefully on August 8, 2025, in San Diego, California, surrounded by the love of family and friends, following a short battle with Stage IV pancreatic cancer.
Born on October 31, 1947, in Columbus, Georgia, Anita was the second eldest daughter of Dave and Bessie Satlof. She grew up with a love for learning and adventure, graduating from Columbus High School as a member of the National Honor Society and staying active in United Synagogue Youth (USY). She even studied Spanish abroad in Monterrey, Mexico while still in high school.
She attended the University of Florida, double majoring in English and Spanish and graduating in just three years. A member of Delta Phi Epsilon sorority, she was also elected “Dream Girl” of Phi Epsilon Pi fraternity. She completed her student teaching in Jacksonville, Florida before marrying the love of her life, Martin “Marty” Lawson, on August 24, 1968.
Anita began her career as a middle school teacher in Cincinnati, Ohio, supporting Marty as he attended rabbinical school. When his studies took them to Jerusalem for a year, Anita embraced life in Israel, deepening her connection to Jewish tradition and community. The couple welcomed their daughter, Bethami, in Cincinnati, and after Marty’s ordination, moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where their son, Joshua, was born.
In 1976, the Lawsons settled in San Diego, where Marty became the then-assistant rabbi of Temple Emanu-El. As a rabbi’s wife, Anita was an essential part of temple life-raising her children while actively participating in Sisterhood and countless programs. She was an amazing mother who was loved immensely by her children, making their home a place of warmth and creativity. Throughout their childhood, Anita baked and decorated elaborate themed birthday cakes-each one a labor of love and a work of art.
She was also the creator and founder of the Temple Emanu-El Hamentaschen Campership Program, which began with just five volunteers baking in her home kitchen and grew into a beloved community effort, raising thousands of dollars to send children to Jewish summer camp. She coordinated hospitality for the temple’s annual scholar-in-residence program, visited residents at the Hebrew Home for the Aged (often bringing her children along), and helped organize congregational tours to Israel and beyond.
Anita’s organizational skills and love for travel led her to work as a travel agent and eventually manage a travel agency, a career she enjoyed for decades. She accompanied Marty on a 1988 mission to the Soviet Union, bringing hope and Jewish resources to refuseniks longing for freedom.
In later years, Anita and Marty continued their life of service together, volunteering through Temple Emanu-El’s programs to feed the homeless, delivering food to homebound seniors through Jewish Family Service, and supporting JFS’s Corner Market and Safe Parking Lot programs. She marched with Marty in San Diego’s LGBTQIA Pride Parade for decades and was a steadfast advocate for women’s rights.
Anita had a gift for making people feel welcome. She was known for her warmth, generosity, and hospitality-whether teaching others to bake challah and hamentaschen, or hosting lively Shabbat dinners. She loved the theater, going to the movies, traveling the world, being out on the dance floor, and finding joy in both new adventures and long-cherished traditions.
Anita is survived by her husband of nearly 57 years, Rabbi Martin Lawson; her children, Bethami Lawson (Joshua Chaiton) and Joshua Lawson (Nicole Lawson); and her adored granddaughters, Zoe and Talia Lawson. She is also survived by her sisters Regina (Neil) Satlof Block, Linda (Peter) Satlof Birnbaum, and Alice (Lewis) Satlof Gold; sister-in-law Nancy (Steve z”l) Tauber Lawson, her beloved cousins; and many nieces, nephews, and dear friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, Dave and Bessie Satlof.
A funeral service was held on Monday, August 11, 2025, at Temple Emanu-El in San Diego, followed by interment at El Camino Memorial Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Rabbi Marty & Anita Lawson Endowment Fund at Temple Emanu-El or to pancreatic cancer research with https://PanCAN (Pancreatic Cancer Action Network).org/.
Anita’s life was one of love, purpose, and community. She will be very deeply missed and forever remembered for the compassion she showed, the traditions she built, and the joy she brought to all who knew her.
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Preceding provided by the Lawson family via Am Israel Mortuary.