John Dawson

JOHN MORRIS DAWSON

John Morris Dawson, age 81, of Chesterfield, MO, died Saturday, April 14, 2007, at the Rosewood Care Center in following a stroke.

He was born May 4, 1926 in Alexandria, MO, a son of Horace Tinsman and Ozetta Belle Morris Dawson. He was the second of three children, and grew up on the family farm 2 miles south of Wayland in Clark County, MO. In 1936, the forces of the Great Depression moved the family to Jefferson City. John attended West Elementary School and Jefferson City High School, graduating in 1944. As a World War II veteran, John served in the Navy from 1944 to 1946 as an Electrician's Mate in the Sea Bees and was stationed on Guam in the Pacific Theatre.

Following his military service, John received an Associate of Arts degree from Jefferson City Junior College. He also received a Bachelor degree in Mathematics and a Masters degree in Statistics from the University of Missouri, where he was a member of the Alpha Pi Zeta Honor Fraternity. During summer months he was employed by the U. S. Coast Guard. Following graduation, John worked a brief time for IBM and then worked for Monsanto Corporation, both in St. Louis. In the late 1960's, John established his own inventory control business, which included setting up a warehouse for J. Dawson Plumbing and Heating, his brother's business located in Jefferson City. John's business branched into recycled pallets, and eventually evolved into a Gaylord Box and Recycling Service. At an age where many ponder retirement, John's business services were a continued source of income and fulfillment. John continued working in this line of business as a part-time venue until his death.

Although a bachelor, John's greatest service was as a family man. He was a devoted, loyal, and caring son, uncle, cousin, and brother. After his younger brother, James (Jim) Horace Dawson, was killed in 1974, John assumed more responsibility for his six nieces and nephews, and sister-in-law Billie. He also served on the Board of the J. Dawson Trust. In 1983, his older sister Patricia Jean Dawson Rice's husband Lee died. Always a loyal uncle, he continued to attend even more family events, always giving them an added importance.

John also cared deeply for his family's considerable history, as he was a descendent of the founding and early settling families of Clark County. Family names include Wayland, Morris, Stauffer, Tall, Tinsman, and Dawson. He administrated and financed improvements to the Way-

land-Cooper-Morris Cemetery south of Wayland on Old Hwy 61, and to other family plots located in Kahoka, St. Francisville, and Bluff Springs. He was planning another effort at the Morris plot near the Fox River south of Wayland. For the past ten years, John has hosted the Annual Dawson Family Reunion on the Saturday following Thanksgiving in Columbia, MO. It was widely attended by various family members across the country.

John was an avid horseman and fisherman following his mother's footsteps. He was a member of the Bridle Spur Hunt Club of St. Louis, and fished local rivers from the Osage, Gasconade, and Meramec Rivers to the boundary waters of Canada.

John is survived by his older sister, Patty Rice, of Shelbina; sister-in-law, Billie Dawson of Jefferson City, MO; eight nieces and nephews; eight great nieces and nephews; and, cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents and his younger brother, Jim.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, April 21, 2007, at 1 p.m. at Wilson Funeral Home in Kahoka, MO, with burial and military rites following in the Kahoka Cemetery.

Friends can call at the funeral home after 9 a.m. Saturday with family receiving friends from noon until time of services.

Memorials are suggested to the John M. Dawson Cemetery Restoration Fund c/o Premier Bank, Jefferson City, Missouri.