Ouachita County Louisiana Archives Obituaries.....DAWSON, RAYMOND L. September 7, 2008
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Gina Brown ancestry_helper@yahoo.com September 18, 2008, 2:06 am

News Star World - September 10, 2008
RAYMOND L. DAWSON

Kilpatrick Funeral Homes

Lamy Lane, Monroe, LA

Raymond L. Dawson, 66, passed away September 7, 2008. He was born April 2, 
1942, the second of five children born to E.D. Dawson and Hazel Cooper Dawson. 
His birthplace was St. Louis, MO, but he grew to adulthood in Southeast 
Kansas. He graduated from Chanute High School in 1960, earned a Bachelor of 
Science degree from The University of Tulsa, took postgraduate classes at The 
Institute of Paper Chemistry and received a Master's Degree in Chemistry from 
Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe.

Mr. Dawson's first fulltime job in the paper industry was as a research 
chemist at the paper mill in West Monroe, LA, now Graphic Packaging 
International. Throughout his 33-year career at that mill, he saw several name 
changes and a number of personal job changes, though all of his years there 
were spent in Research and Development. When he retired in 2004 he was 
Director of New Product Development.

From 1984 to 1989 Mr. Dawson worked for Mead Paperboard as Manager of Process 
and Product Development in Atlanta, GA. When he and his family returned to 
Monroe, he said the move felt like coming home. The Kansas boy / Louisiana man 
preferred the small-city environment to the big-city life.

Ray and Janet O'Connor Dawson were married for over 43 years and were blessed 
by the births of two sons and a daughter. Family life was important to Ray, 
and he participated in his children's Boy Scout, church, music and Little 
League activities. His job responsibilities took him to at least seven foreign 
countries, though his favorite travels were family vacations to Kansas, 
Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas. He and Janet also enjoyed trips to England 
and Canada. During the last ten years, their longer trips were to Ohio and 
Florida to visit four of their six grandchildren. Frequent visits from two 
local granddaughters were highlights of Ray's life.

Professional organizations in which he actively participated are the American 
Chemical Society and the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry. 
His volunteer work often made use of his carpentry skills for church projects 
and set construction at the Monroe Little Theatre. He devoted many hours to 
working in his church's annual Pumpkin Patch mission project.

Mr. Dawson was preceded in death by his beloved son, Brian, at age 31.

Surviving Ray are his wife, Janet; mother Hazel Dawson; daughter and son-in-
law Wendy and Mike Ford; son and daughter-in-law Matt and Pamela Dawson; 
grandson Gabriel Dawson; granddaughters Brooklyn and Hannah Dawson, Andrea 
Dawson, Natalie and Ashlyn Ford; brother-in-law Donald O'Connor; brother Tom 
Dawson; brother Bill and wife Phyllis Dawson; brother Steven and wife Kathy 
Dawson; sister Sandra and husband Steve Spitzer; numerous nieces and nephews.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Kilpatrick Funeral Homes.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 
First United Methodist Church on Loop Road. The Reverends Larry Stafford and 
JoAnn Cooper will officiate. Interment will follow at Monroe Memorial Park.

Pallbearers will be Mike Ford, Dan Hutton, John Myers, Sam Keller, Mike 
Morehead and George Young.

Honorary pallbearers will be James Myers, Bob Rowan, John Hemrich and Daniel 
E. Hutton.

Visitation will be Wednesday, September 10 from 5:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at 
Kilpatrick Funeral Home, 1200 Lamy Lane in Monroe. Flowers are welcome or 
contributions in Ray Dawson's memory may be made to the Louisiana Purchase 
Zoological Society, Monroe, LA 71210.

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