To follow is the link to the live stream of the funeral home portion of the service for Mr. Dawson on Thursday May 27th at 10:00am. Please copy and paste to your browser.
https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/9883627175
Thomas Merriman Dawson, 89, of Stow, MA, passed away peacefully at his home on May 19th, 2021, surrounded by his family.
Tom was born in Bridgeport, CT to the late Winfred E. and Octavia K. (Allen) Dawson, and grew up in Woodbury, CT. He was married for 63 years to the late Jeanette (Hilyard) Dawson, who passed away in August 2020. Tom served honorably as a Communications Specialist in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He met his wife while studying engineering and business management at Colorado A&M University (now Colorado State).
Tom spent his entire career working as an engineer in the computer division of General Electric, which eventually became Honeywell, then Bull HN Information Systems. His jobs took him, and his family to Phoenix, AZ; North Hollywood and Artesia, CA; Hartford and Thompsonville, CT; Syracuse and Clifton Park, NY; then to Stow, MA where he lived for 49 years.
Tom enjoyed golfing, bowling, watching NASCAR racing and traveling. He and his wife went on many trips in North America and Europe, but by far, his favorite vacation spot was Lake George, NY. He took a boat tour on the lake one day and saw people camping on the islands. He immediately decided that he wanted to go camping, too; he bought a boat on the spot, and camped on the islands every year for more than 60 years. He shared his love of boating and the lake with his children, their spouses and his grandchildren, who continue their yearly camping visits. He also enjoyed fishing and playing cribbage, and when teaching people to play, was known to take points that they missed.
He is predeceased by his wife, Jeanette. He is survived by their six children and their spouses: Cathie Olson and husband Geoff of Camas, WA; Laurie Herrick and husband Dave of Leominster, MA; Kurt Dawson and wife Diane of Groton, MA; John Dawson and wife Eileen of Northboro, MA; Becky Diercks and husband John of Hopkinton, MA; and Mark Dawson and wife Kerri of Auburn, MA. He is also survived by their 14 grandchildren: Brittany and Brandon Herrick; Jared, Mitchell, Ryan, Shane and Dylan Dawson; Katie, Bryan and Maureen Dawson; Justin and Connor Diercks; Kyle Dawson and Christine Keogh. He is also survived by his sister, Nancy Dawson of Chestnut Hill, MA; his brother-in-law, Ralph Hilyard and his wife Glenda of Mitchell, NE and their family.
There will be a private service on May 27th in Acton at Acton Funeral Home, with a burial following at Brookside Cemetery in Stow.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of his favorite charities: Stow Conservation Trust, online at http://www.stowconservationtrust.org/; Korean War Veterans Association at https://kwva.us/; or the American Cancer Society at https://www.cancer.org
Memorial page actonfuneralhome.com