Michael Dawson

Michael David Dawson of Dunlap, passed away at the age of 56 on June 27, 2016 in Decatur, Alabama, less than one year after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  

He fought hard against this damnable foe, and endured immense pain and hardship in the struggle. The worst part for him wasn’t the physical pain or in confronting Death, but it was in having found the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, Charlene McLaughlin, and soon after discovering that the rest of his life was only going to be measured in months, not years.  Michael would want you to know that his greatest pride and joy was his daughter, Meghan Michele Dawson, who will be starting college this fall. 

Michael moved his family to Tennessee for a better quality of life than the high-stress commuter lifestyle that Atlanta afforded, giving up his career at CNNA Architects in the process. While in Dunlap, Michael worked as a principal writer for “Africa Challenge,” a television show broadcast nationally in eight African countries, including Nigeria and Kenya. After that show ended, and the economy turned sour, Michael did what was necessary for his family, working at the local Wal-Mart and helping Meghan succeed in school and preparing her for life as an adult. 

Michael was the drum major of the Sugarbear Band at Macon, Georgia’s Central High School. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris while earning his architecture degree at Georgia Tech.  

He was preceded in death by his father, Marvin Dawson, Jr. from Jemison, Alabama. 

Michael is survived by Meghan and Charlene; his siblings, Michele Bourre and Mark Dawson; his mother and stepfather, Marla and T.J. Michels; his stepsiblings, Debbie Hanson and Steve Michels; Meghan’s mother, Donna Graham Dawson, and by Meghan’s godparents, Tracey Kennedy Tefft and Clark Tefft. 

Memorial services will be held at the Julia Thompson Smith Chapel at Agnes Scott College on July 30 at 1:00 p.m.