Brenda LaSonia Powell Lawton

In Loving Memory of Brenda LaSonia Powell Lawton

January 7, 1953 – September 7, 2026

Brenda LaSonia Powell Lawton was born on January 7, 1953, on Coney Island, New York, to the late Thomas Mitchell Powell and Lucy Beasley Powell. She grew up in Harlem, living in the St. Nicholas Projects. As the only girl in a home with seven brothers, Brenda developed the bold, fearless spirit, genuine humor, and deep resilience that defined every chapter of her life.

Brenda graduated from high school in New York. At age 22, she married, and she was soon blessed with her two children, her son Kareem, born in April 1976, and her daughter Karima, born in April 1977.

In 1979, the family relocated to Texas. Faced with raising her two young children on her own shortly after arriving, Brenda poured everything she had into providing for them. With sheer grit and a tireless work ethic, she built her own residential house cleaning business completely from the ground up, running it successfully for years. Through her sacrifices, she established a wonderful home for Kareem and Karima in a great neighborhood in Richardson, Texas, making sure her children had stability and opportunity.

Brenda grew her company entirely on word-of-mouth and glowing recommendations. To the families she served, she was never just someone who cleaned their homes; she was a trusted presence, a confidante, and a friend. She formed deep, lasting bonds with her clients, who loved, respected, and treated her like family. Driven by a desire to keep learning and growing during those busy years, she also enrolled at ITT Technical Institute, where she completed her education and graduated in computer programming.

Life later brought an unexpected medical crisis when Brenda suffered an aneurysm and a stroke, fighting for her life through an extended stay at Parkland Hospital. Though this heartbreaking tragedy left her facing partial paralysis, it could never break her spirit or weaken her fight. Her will, courage, and fierce love for her children carried her through. She faced every physical challenge head-on to continue raising Kareem and Karima, keeping her children together, safe, and surrounded by love under one roof.

Brenda was a woman of incredible independence. Even after Kareem and Karima grew up and began families of their own, she continued to live on her own and maintain her independence. She later transitioned to Green Valley Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center. True to who she was, she became an unmistakable, vibrant light in that community. The residents and staff knew her for her honest, straight talk, her wonderful laugh, and the steady stream of family who continually came to visit and surround her with love. Brenda built real bonds with the people who cared for her, knowing all the staff by name and receiving their love and respect in return, right up until her passing on September 7, 2026.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Thomas Mitchell Powell and Lucy Beasley Powell, and her brothers, Thomas "Juny" Powell, Jr. and James "Lover" Powell.

She leaves to cherish her memory: her son Kareem Lawton and his wife Jessica Lawton; her daughter Karima Lawton; her grandchildren, Faith Lawton, Kian Lawton, Grace Lawton, Koby Lawton, Katie Linaberry, Amari Lawton, and Jaclyn Lawton; her great-grandchildren, Ezra, Franklin, Theodore, and Violet; her brothers William Q. Powell and Philip A. Powell, both of Dallas, Texas, Joseph D. Powell of Irving, Texas, Arthur Maxwell Powell of Keller, Texas, and Michael Powell of Bronx, New York; her nieces and nephews, Tunisia Powell, Adam Powell, Keith Powell, Stefanie Powell, Matthew Powell, Joseph Powell, Nicholas Powell, Lena Powell, Christopher M. Powell, Tery Powell, Arthur M. Powell II, Hannah Powell, and Dana Powell; her 105-year-old aunt Elizabeth B. Haynes of Reidsville, North Carolina; her cousins Gerdia Mae Keesee and Verdell Lane, both of Reidsville, North Carolina, Rev. Rebecca Bossier of Greensboro, North Carolina, Patricia Dupont and Eleanor Dupont of Queens, New York, Joan T. Neal and Stanley Neal, both of Ft. Washington, Maryland, Rev. William T. Brown of Greensboro, North Carolina, and Rev. James Brown and Fletcher T. Brown, both of Reidsville, North Carolina. She is also fondly remembered by a host of other great-cousins, great-nieces, great-nephews, great-great-nieces, and great-great-nephews who will cherish her memory.

Homegoing Services & Arrangements

Visitation & Funeral Service

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

• Visitation: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

• Celebration of Life Service: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

  Alpine Funeral Home

  2300 N Sylvania Ave, Fort Worth, TX 76111

Interment

Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 2:00 PM

Mountain Creek Cemetery

2099 Hardy Rd, Grand Prairie, TX 75051

Repast

Following the interment

Association of Persons Affected by Addiction (APAA)

2800 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Dallas, TX 75215