William “Bill” Dawson

William “Bill” Dawson, 88, formerly of Granville, died Sept. 8, 2019, at Haven Hospice, Gainesville Fla.

A celebration of life will be at 2 p.m. Nov. 23 in Lake Forest (Ill.) Friends Meeting in Lake Forest. Interment will be at Granville Cemetery at 10 a.m. Nov. 24.

Mr. Dawson was born Aug. 9, 1931, in Muscatine, Iowa to Agnes and Ralph Dawson. His mother became ill, and at 13 months old he went to live at the Hopkins family farm in Granville. He grew up on the farm, cared for by his cousin Joel Hopkins and great-aunts Cara Hopkins and Mary Donovan and during his teen years, Mildred (Joel’s wife). Dawson provided care for his mother until her death in 1979.

Bill received a bachelor of science degree in education from Eastern Illinois University in 1953. He served as a teacher in the Army in Poitiers, France for two years. In Chicago, he joined Allstate Life Insurance Co. in 1957 and was transferred to Allstate’s Menlo Park office in 1961. He married Maureen “Mo” on Sept. 2. He moved to the west coast and then back to Round Lake and later Libertyville. He retired from Allstate in 1996. He continued to consult as a life underwriter until 2007.

He is survived by his wife, Maureen; sons, Stewart “Mac” (Kara) Dawson of Gainesville, Paul (Kathleen) Dawson of Northbrook and son William “Bill” (Lori) Dawson of Houston, Texas; six grandchildren; and cousins including Arch and Judy Hopkins of Granville.

He was preceded in death by his cousin Joel Hopkins of Granville; and siblings Patricia Midtskog, Don Dawson and Jack Dawson.

Memorials may be directed to Alz Place of Gainesville, Fla., and Haven Hospice.