For nearly 60 years Frank C. Dawson worked at the only job he ever had, right here at the Dawson Funeral Home. For over 50 of those years he worked as a licensed funeral director, assisting countless families during their time of need and always being ready to serve - 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Following in his father’s footsteps, Digger also provided the leadership to grow the company from its humble beginnings, through the expansion and renovations of facilities not only at the funeral home but also at the Dawson Family Center. Nationally, he was a well-respected trend-setter and personality in the funeral service profession; locally, he was unequalled in his efforts to make this corner of Ohio a better place in which to live and be proud of. His ability to have a dream, work tirelessly until it becomes a reality and, finally, see that the job was finished is uncommon and unsurpassed. This company can’t say “thank you” enough for everything he has done.
Born in East Liverpool, September 4, 1934, he was the son of the late Frank A. and Mildred Bradfield Dawson. A member of the East Liverpool High School Class of 1952, he would go on to Baldwin Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. He enlisted and served two years in the U.S. Navy and would return home to begin work in the family business. A graduate of the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, he became a licensed funeral director and embalmer in 1960.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Gretchen Beede Dawson, along with their four children: Belinda Dunlap and her husband, Jim; Alisa "CeCe" Graham and her husband, Dr. Thomas Graham; Frank Dike Dawson and his wife, Jennifer, and Clifford Dawson and his wife, Alisa. There are eight grandchildren: Tom Dunlap and his wife, Emma; Amy Dunlap and her husband, Blake Anderson; Margaret Graham, Elizabeth Graham, Frank Alexander Dawson, Preston Dawson, Brady Dawson and Miles Dawson, as well as twin great-grandchildren, Grant and Penny Dunlap. A sister, Deborah Anne Burbick, passed away in 1984.
Private funeral arrangements have been completed in accordance with Frank’s wishes. Those wishing to do so may make contributions to the Upper Ohio Valley Museum and Learning Center, 120 East Fifth Street, East Liverpool 43920 or the ELHS Alumni Association, P.O. Box 2646, East Liverpool, Ohio 43920.