Thomas Dawson

Thomas Paul Dawson, long time Mason resident, was born August 24, 1941, passed away November 3, 2016.  He was a Mason High School graduate.  Tom went into the army in 1969 and did his basic training at Ft. Jackson and AIT at Fort Knox.  He received orders from Vietnam and was stations at Duc Pho.  Tom was promoted to Battalion Motor Sargent, then ordered to move to KHE Sanh  the DMZ in support of Lam Son 719.  He encountered a lot of enemy activity at Khe Sanh.  He was then ordered back to Duc Pho for the remainder of his time in the country.  Tom was elected Commander of Joe Barr Post 194 from 2001-2004, was elected Trustee of VFW Post 9622 from 2005-2008, and he returned to the American Legion as Treasurer and Bar Chairman.  Tom received the Bronze Star for his service in Lam Son 719.  Tom was always known for his honesty.  He'd tell you the truth whether you liked it or not.  When a customer would bring their car into the shop, so many time he would tell them that there was a recall on the service they were needing done.  Therefore, sending them back to the dealership to have it fixed for free instead of charging them to fix it.  One time Tom's friend Ron O'Harold was grocery shopping and he saw a family who was down on their luck.  Their car had broken down in the parking lot and they didn't have much money for groceries  Ron helped them with groceries and called Tom about their car.  Tom towed their car to his shop and fixed it for free.  Tom used to watch his granddaughter while her parents worked.  One day while he was pushing her in the swing in the backyard, they heard a train whistle.  He scooped her up, put her in the car, fastened her in her car seat and followed the sound of the train until they found it.  That day she learned what a train was.  Tom will be missed by many, and remembered for his genuine love and honesty.