Richard S. Dawson

The family extends their heartfelt thanks to all that have shared condolences at this time. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that small house or garden plants be sent to the funeral home. Richard Samuel Dawson was born July 16, 1931, in Brooklyn, New York, to the late Clarada Reid. He was the third child of four children, and his siblings preceded him in death: Eric Dawson, Editha Leonard and Albert Reid. He departed this life on February 7, 2022. Known affectionately to the family as “Uncle Richie”, he attended the New York public school system and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1949 with a degree in industrial design. He attended Utica College at Syracuse as a Liberal Arts major. Following two years of college, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, where he served in the Korean War. Richie earned the rank of Sergeant and was honorably discharged. Shortly afterwards, Richie returned to Brooklyn and took a job at an oil refinery in New Jersey. Richie was introduced to Willie Gist by her middle sister, Dorothy (Dot). They dated briefly and in February1956, Richie married Willie in a small, private ceremony and made their home in Brooklyn. This union resulted in the birth of two daughters, Adrienne Maria and Deborah (Debbie) Lynn. In 1967, the family moved to Springfield Gardens in Queens, New York, where they shared a two-family home with Willie’s sister, Dot.Richie later accepted a higher paying position at the New York Telephone Co. to further support his family and to be closer to home. In July 1987 after 22 years of dedicated service, Richie retired as a Telephone Switch man from the New York Telephone Co. (renamed NYNEX). Richie enjoyed reading, drawing, figuring out the Sunday crossword puzzles, and was very knowledgeable and handy with tools. Being self-taught through books, he set up a carpentry workshop in the basement,crafted wood furniture and helped maintain the home in Queens, saving on costly repairs. A lover of nature and horticulture, Richie had a “green thumb” and enjoyed gardening—sharing beautiful plants and flowers with family and friends. He loved watching sports including baseball, football and basketball as well as Do-It-Yourself (DIY) home and educational nature programs. Richie also enjoyed loading up his van, taking road trips with the family to South Carolina and being one with nature. He believed the human race could learn a lot from Native Americans and animals. Richie also thought there was an herb or a plant in the rain forest that could possibly cure every disease known to man. In 1979, Richie became an honorary member of the National Geographic Society. Music was always heard wafting through the house from some of Richie’s favorite vintage jazz artists—greats like Miles, Coltrane, Dave Brubeck, Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, Horace Silver Quintet and Lee Morgan He truly loved the jazz era of his day. Richie later discovered new music from the Jazz Crusaders,Donald Byrd, the Modern Jazz Quartet, George Howard, Grover Washington Jr., Spyro Gyra and Boney James,just to name a few. In 2002, Richie and Willie moved from Queens to Upper Marlboro, Maryland, where they shared a town home with Debbie and her family. They moved to a senior apartment complex in Laurel, Maryland, in2012. Richie’s loving wife Willie of 59 years preceded him in death on November 7, 2015. Richie leaves to celebrate his life and legacy daughters Adrienne Braswell (William) and Deborah Dawson;three dear grandchildren, Tia Danielle Basden, Edward Richard Basden and Khendra Cheri Braswell; three great-grandsons, Evan Giovanni Basden, Troy Carter Basden and Jace Antonio Basden; nieces Jacqueline Dawson,Susan and Denise Leonard, Scherril Murray (Datus) and Linda Douglas (Horace); nephews Gregory Dawson(Melanie) and Terrence Reid (deceased); cousins Linda Lightfoot (John Arthur), Barry Loncke (Lilly) and Katie Loncke; grand-nephew Jamel Dawson; grand-niece Kayla Murray; and a host of other family and friends.

Tributes

Richard S. Dawson

July 16, 1931 - February 7, 2022