Memorable Manitobans: May Lawson (1901-1965)

Musician.

Born in Scotland in 1901, the eldest of four children, she moved to Winnipeg with her family in 1914 and studied singing (with Rhys Thomas) as well as in Toronto and New York. She was a soloist at St. Luke’s Anglican Church (1923-1926) and then at Knox United Church (1926-1946). A contralto, she sang in oratorio and in light opera and was frequently heard on CBC Radio. She often sang Scottish traditional songs to great effect. After years as a private teacher, she spent her last years (1958-1965) teaching at the Canadian Mennonite Bible College. She helped her brother James Terry Lawson produce the manual Full-throated Ease: A Concise Guide to Easy Singing (1955). She died unmarried at the Winnipeg General Hospital on 28 April 1965 and was buried in the Elmwood Cemetery.

Sources:

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 29 April 1965, page 13.

“May Lawson,” Winnipeg Free Press, 3 May 1965, page 21.

Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.

We thank Keith Jones for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 22 February 2025

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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