Richard O. Dawson's Obituary
Richard O. DawsonÂ"DickÂ"Richard O. Dawson, Â"DickÂ", passed away peacefully on Tuesday, November 26, 2002, at Allenmore Hospital in Tacoma. Dick was born on August 20, 1920, in Butte, Montana.Dick, a resident of Tacoma since the early 1940Â's, owned and operated DickÂ's Arco on 11th Street (Tideflats) for many years. He was a lifetime member of Masonic Lodge and a member of Tacoma Elks Club.Dick is survived by his wife, Alice, of 25 years, sons; Richard Arend (Darlene) of Spokane, WA, James Harvey (Dianne) of Vancouver, WA, step-daughter; Debra Stickney (Paul) of Tacoma, WA, brothers; Alfred J. Dawson of Long Beach, CA, Harmel A. Dawson of Salt Lake City, UT, four grandchildren and two great grandchildren.Dick was preceded in death by his first wife, Ruth E. (DeVries), brothers; Jasper F., Chester H., Harvey J., Kelvin T., Horace W., Edward P. (Ted), Walter F., Corliss D., Leonard P. and sisters; Lillian H. and Inez E. (DesRosier).Memorial Service will be held 1:00 PM, Saturday, December 7, 2002, at Mt. View Garden Chapel. The family requests that you consider donations to the American Heart Association in lieu of flowers.EULOGYIn Memory of RICHARD O DAWSONUncle, Surrogate Father and Good FriendNovember 26, 2002 He was known to many who valued his friendship and benefited from his giving heart. Richard was often late to dinner or even a special occasion having taken time to help someone in need. This often put him in the doghouse at home, but it never deterred his willingness to help others.One would have had to work very hard not to like Â"RichÂ". His rye wit and easy nature made him very likable and approachable. He enjoyed life and helped others to find that same joy. Often, I remember him saying, Â"In twenty years youÂ'll never know the difference.Â" I knew when he said this to me, he was really saying, Â"lighten up and keep things in perspective.Â"My own story with Rich covers a lifetime of events. He was there for me when I needed a father with whom I could discuss my problems. He was there again when my Mother was ill and passed away. He was still there in the dark days after my Father returned to Italy to his job. Rich was always available when I called. He would come by the University to pick me up and then we would go to Â"PatÂ's DelicatessenÂ" where we could sit in the back to talk until I was talked out.Over the last few months, I was blessed with the opportunity to see Rich on a number of occasions. I am so thankful that I had these opportunities. He shared his memories of times past; I learned more about our family history and just enjoyed his company.I will always remember Rich as true friend, surrogate father and uncle; but most of all for his friendship, kindness and being very loving human being.With great respect and love, Allan Dawson
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