Jerry Owen Dawson, 87, of Huntsville Alabama, passed away on February 11, 2023, after a short illness. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Clara Dawson; brother, Charles Dawson Jr.; sister, Barbara Humphrey; and great-grandsons, Wyatt and Henry Moon. Mr. Dawson is survived by his wife, Sandra Dawson; daughters, Susan Moon (Joseph) and Kathryn Knickrehm (James); grandchildren, Mark Moon (Melanie), Rick Moon (Jessica), Jessica Hall (Drew), and Dustin Knickrehm (Lauren); and great-grandchildren, Annabelle Moon, Russell Moon, Natalie Moon, Candace Moon, Lily Hall, Colton Hall, and Robert James Knickrehm.
Jerry was born on July 25, 1935, in Bonne Terre, Missouri to Charles and Clara Dawson. Jerry met and married the love of his life, Sandra Sue Howton, October 10, 1959. Family was a central part of Jerry’s life, and he was happiest spending time with his wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Mr. Dawson earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy in 1958, his M.S. in Administrative Operations from the Saint Louis University in 1962, and his ABD Ph.D. in Operations Research from the University of North Carolina in 1973. Mr. Dawson was a lifelong college basketball and UNC fan. He was passionate about education and instilled the value of education in his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Mr. Dawson spent countless hours as a tutor, mentor, coach, and volunteer.
Mr. Dawson was a lifelong patriot with a strong sense of duty. He served his country as an officer in the U.S. Army 1958-1960, U.S. Army Reserves 1960-1964, and as a civil servant for the U.S Army. Mr. Dawson found his work on numerous projects to be fulfilling and rewarding. These projects included a number of systems that became synonymous with Redstone Arsenal and Huntsville, Alabama such as the Pershing, Sprint, Nike Zeus, and Patriot missiles. In addition, Mr. Dawson worked on elements of the layered Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) that would later be incorporated into the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). Mr. Dawson spent much of his career working for the Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC) and retired in 1995. He remained an avid follower of geopolitics, science, technology, engineering, and the U.S. Military.
Visitation will be from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Friday, February 17th at Aldersgate United Methodist Church with a Celebration of Life service at 1:00 p.m. Burial will follow at Maple Hill Cemetery.
