JOHN FRANKLIN (BUD) DAWSON III

John Franklin Dawson III, 90, beloved husband of Elizabeth “Liz” Otis Dawson, passed away peacefully and surrounded by his loving family on Thursday, March 27, 2025. Born in Fayette County, PA on December 7, 1934, he quickly earned the nickname Bud, after his mother Annabel declared he looked “just like a rosebud”. This nickname stuck and followed him the rest of his life. Bud was one of three boys born to the late Frank and Annabel Dawson. Brothers Dale and Dickie also preceded him in death as well as his beloved stepfather, Whitey Thompson, Aunt Sandra Regan, Uncle Beam Griffith and Aunt Maddy Hoffman.

Bud was raised in Uniontown, PA and he eventually moved to Washington Court House, Ohio where he played high school basketball and had such a strong golf game it landed him on the golf team at The Ohio State University playing alongside the great Jack Nicklaus. Forever a proud Buckeye, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1961, and then proudly served his country in the Army for several years as an Intelligence Analyst dispatching messages in morse code. He then put his excellent marketing and journalism skills to use with Bell Labs, where he worked for 30 years writing articles for the company until it evolved into AT&T. His skills took him all the way to Iran, a highlight for him, as he helped study and implement the initial concepts of how a cell phone tower could be useful someday. He eventually served for several years as the Director of Development for the city of Washington Court House.

Bud and Liz’s love story started on a blind date and they got married on August 20, 1960. They lived in Parsippany, NJ for several years before moving to Summit, NJ where they raised their 3 daughters Vicky, Dahl and Liz. Bud had an incredible voice and enjoyed singing in church choirs, playing his ukulele and performing in many plays and musicals over the years. He always loved a good party and never passed up an opportunity to entertain, often singing and playing for hours. At 88 years old, he recorded several songs at a renowned studio in San Diego. The experience is documented here.

He recorded this song in one take, like the pro that he was.

Bud was a devoted husband, father and grandfather having taught almost the entire family how to play golf. He was loved for his energy and love for life. He always had a dog or a horse by his side and, being a farmer at heart, wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He was a man of action, but also a man of reflection who enjoyed deep conversations with friends and family. He was passionate about helping the underdog!  Bud and Liz were always admired by others for their special love and his unwavering care of Liz up until his passing, just shy of their 65th wedding anniversary.

Bud is survived by his loving family; wife Liz Dawson of Oceanside, CA; daughters Vicky and husband Greg Irvine of Fallbrook, CA, Dahl Nielsen-Fried and husband Ken Fried of Carlsbad, CA, Liz and husband Steve Krenik of Foothill Ranch, CA; grandchildren, Joshua Dawson Irvine of Salt Lake City, UT, Hannah and husband Taylor Hall of Santa Barbara, CA, Grace Irvine of San Diego, CA, Virginia Nielsen of San Mateo, CA, Lilah Annabel Nielsen of Carlsbad, CA, Victoria Nielsen of Leucadia, CA, Paige Krenik of Foothill Ranch, CA, Lance Dawson Krenik of Foothill Ranch, CA; brother-in law John Otis and wife Twinky of Bonita Springs, FL; nephews John Otis of Salt Lake City, UT and James Otis of Salt Lake City, UT; nieces Ginger Otis of Annapolis, MD, and Star Bailey of San Marcos, CA; and Son-In-Law Peter Nielsen of Oceanside, CA.

A private family remembrance celebrating Bud will be held on the West Coast this summer. A formal future service will be held in Washington Court House, Ohio where both Liz and Bud will eventually be buried together by the angel in the Washington Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to Tunnel To Towers Foundation, t2t.org in Bud’s honor and please notify us by adding the following email: vicky.irvine@aol.com so we can send our gratitude. We’d love you to also share a memory by clicking on his name, scrolling down to the bottom where you can leave a reply.