William Dawson
September 21, 1958 — March 10, 2020
William Dawson
William A."Will" Dawson , 61, passed peacefully from this world on March 10, 2020, at his Benton, AR home.
Will was born Sept. 21, 1958, in Little Rock, AR to Don and Maxine Dawson. He was the youngest of their 4 children and he liked to tease his older siblings that their parents "finally got it right."
He was a 1976 graduate of Benton High School. Upon graduation, he continued his education at Ouachita Vocational Technical School in Malvern, AR. He put his welding skills to use at Beco Corporation (now operating as Harbor Fab) in 1979. It was a "temporary" job that spanned four decades. He retired from his position as General Manager of Harbor Fab in October 2019, due to his declining health.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his in-laws, F.A. and Mickie Dobson; brother-in-law, Terry Dobson; and two grandbabies.
He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Gigi (Dobson) Dawson; their daughter Kathryn Stevens, son-in-law Matthew, and grandchildren Hayden and Abigail.
Also left behind to cherish his memory are his Aunt Billie Cloud; sisters Brenda (David) Edmonson and Becky (Edward) Talbert; brother Mark Dawson; brother-in-law Stan Dobson; sister-in-law Cathy Dawson; five nieces, a nephew, and their growing families.
He will also be missed by his family-by-choice: "adopted daughters" Carli Sasser and Ashley Benton, his Midtowne Church family, his Harbor Fab family, and special friends too numerous to list.
Those who loved and respected Will describe him as a dedicated employee, an encouraging boss, a loyal friend, a dutiful son and brother, an adoring "Poppadee," a devoted father, a loving husband, but above all, he was seen as a shining example of a steadfast servant of God and a faith-filled follower of Jesus Christ.
The family would like to thank UAMS Neurosurgery (Dr. Whit Morris, Ashley Benton, Ebonye Green), UAMS Oncology (Dr. Shirley Ong, Lynn Nowell, Dr. Tommy Martin), UAMS Palliative Care (Dr. Carrie Hyde), and Will's "dream team" at Arkansas Hospice (Becky Messenger, Carly Claud, Alice Carter, David Akers) for not only providing outstanding care for him, but supporting and ministering to his family.
A memorial service to celebrate the life of this incredible man will be planned for a later date.
In lieu of flowers, it was his wish that memorials be made to two organizations that will serve and bless others:
1) Midtowne Church - Boone Road Land Fund/Building Fund
http://wp.midtownechurch.com/give/
2) Apraxia Kids
http://www.apraxia-kids.org
Arrangements entrusted to Smith-Benton Funeral Home. Online guestbook: www.SmithFamilyCares.com.
Will was born Sept. 21, 1958, in Little Rock, AR to Don and Maxine Dawson. He was the youngest of their 4 children and he liked to tease his older siblings that their parents "finally got it right."
He was a 1976 graduate of Benton High School. Upon graduation, he continued his education at Ouachita Vocational Technical School in Malvern, AR. He put his welding skills to use at Beco Corporation (now operating as Harbor Fab) in 1979. It was a "temporary" job that spanned four decades. He retired from his position as General Manager of Harbor Fab in October 2019, due to his declining health.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his in-laws, F.A. and Mickie Dobson; brother-in-law, Terry Dobson; and two grandbabies.
He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Gigi (Dobson) Dawson; their daughter Kathryn Stevens, son-in-law Matthew, and grandchildren Hayden and Abigail.
Also left behind to cherish his memory are his Aunt Billie Cloud; sisters Brenda (David) Edmonson and Becky (Edward) Talbert; brother Mark Dawson; brother-in-law Stan Dobson; sister-in-law Cathy Dawson; five nieces, a nephew, and their growing families.
He will also be missed by his family-by-choice: "adopted daughters" Carli Sasser and Ashley Benton, his Midtowne Church family, his Harbor Fab family, and special friends too numerous to list.
Those who loved and respected Will describe him as a dedicated employee, an encouraging boss, a loyal friend, a dutiful son and brother, an adoring "Poppadee," a devoted father, a loving husband, but above all, he was seen as a shining example of a steadfast servant of God and a faith-filled follower of Jesus Christ.
The family would like to thank UAMS Neurosurgery (Dr. Whit Morris, Ashley Benton, Ebonye Green), UAMS Oncology (Dr. Shirley Ong, Lynn Nowell, Dr. Tommy Martin), UAMS Palliative Care (Dr. Carrie Hyde), and Will's "dream team" at Arkansas Hospice (Becky Messenger, Carly Claud, Alice Carter, David Akers) for not only providing outstanding care for him, but supporting and ministering to his family.
A memorial service to celebrate the life of this incredible man will be planned for a later date.
In lieu of flowers, it was his wish that memorials be made to two organizations that will serve and bless others:
1) Midtowne Church - Boone Road Land Fund/Building Fund
http://wp.midtownechurch.com/give/
2) Apraxia Kids
http://www.apraxia-kids.org
Arrangements entrusted to Smith-Benton Funeral Home. Online guestbook: www.SmithFamilyCares.com.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of William Dawson, please visit our flower store.
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