Joseph John Lawler Jr.

LINCOLN, R.I. – Joseph John Lawler, Jr., of Lincoln, R.I., a past vice president at A.T. Cross Company, died July 15, 2025, at the age of 87 years. He leaves a wife, Susan, and two grown children, Elizabeth and Sean.

Born in Lewiston, a son of the late Joseph John and Regina (LaRose) Lawler, he graduated from Edward Little High School in 1956, and from Bates College in 1963, where he studied economics and played varsity basketball and baseball.

After serving in the U.S. Army Reserves in 1964, he was accepted into the FBI before taking instead the position of Assistant Export Manager at A.T. Cross in 1965. At Cross, he was instrumental in expanding the company’s export division when it was still new and held various international management positions until he was appointed Vice President, International, in 1979. The company’s pioneering strategies for growing its business in world markets during his tenure were featured in the non-fiction book “The Silent War” by Ira Magaziner and Mark Patinkin.

He remained at Cross for 35 years until his retirement in 2000.

In his professional associations, he served as an executive board member of the International Anticounterfeiting Coalition, and as Director of the Providence World Trade Club. He was a member of the Boston District Export Council, the International Trade Committee of the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association, the International Business Center of New England, and the Japan-America Society of Rhode Island.

In retirement, he took joy in spending more time with his family and friends, and he was happiest in his summer spot on the coast of Maine, surrounded by family, with the Red Sox on the radio. An avid sportsman and cardplayer, he was a member of the Wannamoisett Country Club for 48 years. He also enjoyed playing softball for the Warwick Senior Softball League, which honored him as one of its finest players. He was a devoted parishioner at St. Jude Catholic Church for 60 years.

Predeceased by his brother, Michael Lawler (2001), he is survived by six brothers, William Lawler, Patrick Lawler, Dennis Lawler, James Lawler, Gary Lawler, and Roland Lawler, and six sisters, Anita Hamel, Ruth Eliot, Evelyn Roy, Maureen Campbell, June Timpany, and Judy Ducharme.

Family and friends are invited to attend the funeral mass on Thursday, July 31, at 10 a.m., in Saint Jude Church, Lincoln, R.I. A burial service will follow at Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, R.I.

Arrangements entrusted to Bellows Funeral Chapel, Lincoln. For guestbook and directions, please visit: http://www.bellowsfuneralchapel.com

Memorial donations may be made to the

*Catholic Charity Appeal,

*HopeHealth Hospice, or

*Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue