John Dawson

John Eugene Dawson
December 29, 1930 – September 7, 2007

John Eugene Dawson, 76, of Waco, passed away on Friday, Sept. 7, 2007, in his home, surrounded by his loving family. Services will be 2:00 p.m. Monday, Sept. 10 at OakCrest Funeral Home, officiated by Pastor Jim Gray and Chaplain Suzanne Smith, with scripture read by Danny Dawson. Burial will follow at Waco Memorial Park. Visitation with the family is from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon at the funeral home.

John was born in Waco on Dec. 29, 1930 to Aimee Grubbs Dawson and Wade H. Dawson, and graduated from Bruceville-Eddy High School in 1948. He was a veteran of the Korean War and served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1951-1953 aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard. In 1956, he married Shirley Battle and they recently celebrated 51 years of marriage. He worked at General Tire for over 46 years and was active in various positions in URW Local 312 labor union and served as the last Local 312 president. For a time he was a field representative for the URW International Union as an organizer in the southern United States. He was dedicated to helping the members of Local 312 and their families.

John served on the Heart of Texas Workforce Board and was recently named Dean Emeritus of the Central Texas Labor Council AFL-CIO for over half a century of service to the working people of Texas. A lifelong Democrat, he was very involved in the Democratic Party in McLennan County. He also was a member of the HOTCOG Private Industry Council, served as a past director of the GENCO Credit Union and of Goodwill Industries, was a member of the MCC Redistricting Committee, served as a member of the McLennan County Grievance Committee, and was on the Mayor's Committee coordinating the Texas Dept. of Community Affairs on General Tire.

He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Woodway. John was a lifetime member of VFW Post 4819 in West and a member of the U.S. Seagoing Marine Association. He was proud to be an American and proud to be a Marine.

He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Jennifer Hall.

He is survived by his wife, Shirley Dawson of Waco, daughter Peggy Mainord and husband, Steve of Duncanville; son Wesley Dawson and wife, Christy of Waco; daughter Linda Reneau and husband, Terry of Hewitt; daughter Susan Fuller and husband, Clint of Frisco; fourteen grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; siblings Wade Dawson of Waco; Willie Morris and husband, Bill of San Antonio; Carol Johnson and husband, Bob of Hewitt; brother-in-law Jack Hall of Dallas; and many nieces and nephews.

John enjoyed his four children and all of their activities. God blessed him with precious grandchildren and he was a wonderful "Poppy" to them. One of his favorite things was a big family meal with everyone around the table. He enjoyed traveling and going to his Marine Corps reunions.

Pallbearers include Barry Johnson, Brandon Johnson, Jackie Smith, Carl Stephens, Boyce Breedlove, Joe Wolf, Kenneth Bottolfs, and David McCormick. Honorary pallbearers are Harold Menefee, Bill Roeder, T.D. Steinke, James Holdbrook, Ron Hoover, Donald Pack, John Nash, Danny Webb, David McAdams, Billy Laughlin, and the members of SOAR Local 312 Retirement Club.

The family wishes to extend a special thanks to Providence Hospice for their assistance. Memorials may be made to the Texas AFL-CIO Scholarship Fund, Attention: Vivian Willis, 1106 Lavaca, Suite 200, Austin, TX. 78701, (512-477-6195), or to the charity of your choice.