John William Dawson, son of David F. and Catherine (Katy) Dawson died of a brain aneurysm on Saturday, August 25, at Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth after a brief illness.  He was born October 3, 1958 in Columbia, Missouri and was preceded in death by his father, Dr. David F. Dawson.  He is survived by his mother, Katy, his 5 siblings, Dr. Dan Dawson of Dallas, David R. Dawson and his wife, Linda, of Garland, Sharon Ann Dawson of Denton, Don Dawson and his wife, Aurora, of Denton, Cathi Prather and her husband, Rich, of Franklin, Tennessee, and numerous nieces and nephews.

John graduated from Denton High School in 1977 and received his B. A. degree from UNT in geography with a minor in botany.  Until his last illness he was always a healthy, active person who had an avid interest in gardening. Although he was very tall and very thin, he also was very strong with bountiful amounts of energy.  He was owner and manager of an apartment complex.  As there was no room for a garden at his apartment, he cultivated an extensive one in his mother's large back yard.  He grew all kinds of vegetables and loved to experiment with various kinds of plants, including citrus, which do not exactly fit the North Texas climate; nevertheless he was quite successful in providing family and friends with delicious mandarin oranges, Meyer lemons, etc. plus all kinds of vegetables.  He encouraged his mother to share his bounty of tomatoes, squash, many kinds of peppers, eggplant, watermelons, cucumbers etc. with friends, neighbors, and Our Daily Bread.  He would come to his mother's house nearly every late afternoon and announce, "Well, I've come over to play in the dirt."

His wry and sometimes irreverent sense of humor notwithstanding, he was and always has been an extremely compassionate person who cared deeply for family, friends, and animals.  He will be sorely missed.

A memorial service will be held in Cole Chapel at First United Methodist Church, 201 S. Locust on Friday, August 31 at 11:00AM.  After cremation his ashes will be strewn over his beloved garden.  Memorials may be made to First Methodist Church, Our Daily Bread, or the charity of your choice.