The Mercury’s driver, Leonard Lawson, 76, and his passenger and wife, 73-year-old Joyce Lawson, were killed in the crash.
Dump truck driver, Robert Beedle, 63, of Wilmington, was treated and released with minor injuries.
A motorist called 911 to report the crash, which sent both vehicles into a ditch.
“There’s a car trapped under the dump truck with people in it and there’s a fire,” the man said. “There’s gas leaking. The truck is smoking.”
Four or five people approached the scene of the crash to help, one of them with a fire extinguisher, but it appeared the couple was already dead, the caller said.
“There’s two in the car,” he said. “No response … They can’t get any response from them.”
The couple died at the scene, according to the Warren County Coroner’s Office.
Leonard and Joyce Lawson were traveling to Hillsboro to visit family, according to Joyce Lawson’s son, Anthony Rose.
“They did everything together,” Rose said. “They went to Towne Boulevard Church three times a week. They just loved life.”
That included watching grandchildren play sports and traveling with a Jolly 60’s senior group to various in-town and out-of-town activities.
“They would travel all over the place,” Rose said. “They were just happiest when they were with their family and friends.”
Leonard Lawson was born and raised in Middletown and Joyce Lawson was born in Kentucky but grew up in Middletown and Trenton. Both were known for their kindness, he said.
“They would do anything for anybody,” he said.
Leonard Lawson started a career as a steelworker at AK Steel directly after graduating high school at 18 years old and worked there for 43 years. Joyce Lawson worked for about 20 years in a Mason factory that molded parts for cars.
The couple is survived by five children, Kim (Denny) Dearth of Carlisle, Anthony (Julie) Rose of Fairfield Twp., Karen (Mark) Cope of Middletown, Kenny Lawson of Destin, Fla., and Carl (Terri) Lawson of Middletown, as well as 16 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Visitation is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Towne Boulevard Church of God, 3722 Towne Blvd, Middletown, with a service scheduled for 2 p.m. That will be followed by a procession to Woodside Cemetery & Arboretum, 1401 S. Woodside Blvd., for burial.
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