James George Eugene Lawson

James George Eugene Lawson, 35, of Oak Bluffs died suddenly at home on Friday, August 28, 2025, from complications of type 1 diabetes.

Jamie was born in Annapolis, Md., but grew up in Oak Bluffs with his brother Alex, sister Savannah, and a tight-knit band of neighborhood kids. They enjoyed a free-range childhood with a playground including most of O.B., from the ancient ways of the Southern Woodlands, along the Lagoon, through town, and out to the First and Second bridges between Sengekontaket and Nantucket Sound.

He attended the Oak Bluffs School and MVRHS before graduating from Champlain College in Vermont with a B.S. in graphic design and digital media. He worked for a number of Island companies before going freelance. In recent years he did web development, designed fonts and logos, and dabbled in video game creation. He most recently began a tech support company targeting older users.

Woodworking and furniture design and building were particular passions. Jamie built Asian-inspired furniture using techniques that emphasized the use of kumiki, a form of wood joinery using mortises and tenons rather than screws, nails, or glue. His tables, desks, bookcases, boxes, and lamps are beautiful and elegant. He explored photography, and was particularly fascinated by the creation of abstract images using chemical techniques, and close-ups of ordinary objects which became strange and beautiful under his lens. Jamie was also an adventuresome and fearless cook.

The books on his bookshelf illustrate his wide-ranging, often esoteric interests. The Quran, Bhagavad Gita and Bible share space with James Joyce, Ayn Rand, Aristotle, Tolkien, Lao Tzu, Murasaki Shikibu, Homer, and Hunter S. Thompson.

Jamie will be remembered most as a kind, gentle, loving, loyal, and delightfully quirky, even eccentric, son, brother, and friend, and all-around wonderful human.

Jamie was predeceased by his father, Bill Lawson; and will be treasured in the memories of his mother, Jane Valley Lawson, and her partner Dan Hogan of Cambridge; by his brother, Alex Lawson of Oak Bluffs, with whom he shared the family home; sisters Savannah Lawson and her partner, Robby Lacey of Fort Myers Beach, Fla., and Beth Barwise of Sedgwick, Maine. He also leaves his “Pup,” George A. Valley of St. Augustine, Fla.; his uncle and aunt, George and Maura Valley of Vineyard Haven; his aunt, Chris Valley of Oak Bluffs; uncle, Andy Valley of Murrells Inlet, S.C.; and his cousins, John, Samantha, Gaia, and Grace.

He is also mourned by that tight band of neighborhood kids, joined by others as they grew up, who have always honored their bond to one another. Tyson Landers, Nick Henderson, Tyler Moreis, Spike Grimm, Blair Rancich, Daniel Cuff, James Gibson, Dylan McCarthy, Mike Marashio, and Connell Wortmann are a comfort to us in keeping his memory alive.

Jamie’s passing has left a hole in our hearts now being filled with our memories and the love of all who were blessed by having known him. Thanks to family and friends for your support.

Donations in his name to the superheroes at Boston MedFlight, who kept him alive on so many occasions, would be profoundly appreciated; online at bostonmedflight.org/make-a-gift.

A memorial will be held on his birthday, next June 6.