Joseph ‘Joe' Dawson, 84
APRIL 22, 1928—MAY 11, 2012
Joe Dawson, master carpenter and fiddler, and long-time resident of Prospect Hill, passed away at Hospice House in Bloomington on May 11, 2012, at the age of 84. In his last days, he was surrounded by his dearest friends.
He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Lela (Pate) Dawson; his sister, Mildred Wells; and his parents, Cletus Dawson and Myrtle Dawson Walker.
Joe was born in Bedford, Indiana, on April 22, 1928. When Joe was 10, his father died in an accident, and his mother moved to Bloomington to find employment. Joe's sister lived with his mother while Joe went to live with his mother's parents, Jasper and Ida Chambers, on their 140-acre farm on the Monroe/Brown County line.
Though money was extremely scarce, Joe and his grandparents were able to provide for almost all their needs by growing their own food, raising livestock, bartering eggs for supplies and by hewing and selling railroad ties. Years later, most of the farm was submerged by the formation of Lake Monroe.
Due to the responsibilities of helping his disabled grandfather on the farm, Joe did not have to serve in World War II, but he was drafted to fight in the Korean War and saw heavy combat.
Early in life, Joe picked up carpentry skills from his father, and after the war he worked for a time at Showers Brothers Furniture. He soon moved on to work for Superior Lumber, Pritchett Brothers Construction and CFC Incorporated. As a master carpenter, he was indispensable in the building of hundreds of important structures in Bloomington and beyond, including Beck Chapel, Fountain Square Mall, and the Graham Plaza Hotel. On the side, for a time, he raised hogs on his farm near Adel in Owen County.
As a masterful fiddler, Joe kept alive a beautiful and important repertoire of traditional music from Monroe and Brown Counties, music that has many of its deeper roots in Kentucky and the larger Appalachian Mountain region. He learned this music from the fiddle playing of his grandfather, Jasper Chambers, as well as from other relatives and neighbors, while living on the family farm. He passed that music along to many younger musicians who continue to play it today. The Thursday night music sharing sessions that he convened in his living room for many years were a joy for those who were lucky enough to gather there to learn the tunes and all the stories and lore that went with them. Recordings of Joe's fiddling and anecdotes will soon be deposited in the IU Archives of Traditional Music in Bloomington.
Joe leaves behind his dear friends, neighbors, caretakers and fellow musicians Grey Larsen and Cindy Kallet, who saw Joe through many years of illness and enabled him to live in his own home up until two days before his death. They, and Joe, were helped by numerous loving friends. Three in particular provided steadfast and superlative support: Karla Brinegar and Sherry Beer of Home Instead Senior Care and Joe's Hospice nurse, Cheryl Gordon.
Memorial gifts may be directed to IU Health Bloomington Hospital Hospice, an organization that was hugely helpful to Joe and his caretakers during his last few months. Joe was a dedicated supporter of the Salvation Army, and no doubt would be pleased to see gifts directed to that organization as well.
A service of remembrance will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 17, 2012, at Valhalla Memory Gardens Mausoleum. Joe will then be buried next to his wife at the cemetery.
A Celebration of Life service will also be held on Saturday, June 9th, at Beck Chapel on the IU Bloomington campus at 5 p.m.
Expressions of sympathy may be shared online at www.DeremiahFryeMortuary.com.
APRIL 22, 1928—MAY 11, 2012
Joe Dawson, master carpenter and fiddler, and long-time resident of Prospect Hill, passed away at Hospice House in Bloomington on May 11, 2012, at the age of 84. In his last days, he was surrounded by his dearest friends.
He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Lela (Pate) Dawson; his sister, Mildred Wells; and his parents, Cletus Dawson and Myrtle Dawson Walker.
Joe was born in Bedford, Indiana, on April 22, 1928. When Joe was 10, his father died in an accident, and his mother moved to Bloomington to find employment. Joe's sister lived with his mother while Joe went to live with his mother's parents, Jasper and Ida Chambers, on their 140-acre farm on the Monroe/Brown County line.
Though money was extremely scarce, Joe and his grandparents were able to provide for almost all their needs by growing their own food, raising livestock, bartering eggs for supplies and by hewing and selling railroad ties. Years later, most of the farm was submerged by the formation of Lake Monroe.
Due to the responsibilities of helping his disabled grandfather on the farm, Joe did not have to serve in World War II, but he was drafted to fight in the Korean War and saw heavy combat.
Early in life, Joe picked up carpentry skills from his father, and after the war he worked for a time at Showers Brothers Furniture. He soon moved on to work for Superior Lumber, Pritchett Brothers Construction and CFC Incorporated. As a master carpenter, he was indispensable in the building of hundreds of important structures in Bloomington and beyond, including Beck Chapel, Fountain Square Mall, and the Graham Plaza Hotel. On the side, for a time, he raised hogs on his farm near Adel in Owen County.
As a masterful fiddler, Joe kept alive a beautiful and important repertoire of traditional music from Monroe and Brown Counties, music that has many of its deeper roots in Kentucky and the larger Appalachian Mountain region. He learned this music from the fiddle playing of his grandfather, Jasper Chambers, as well as from other relatives and neighbors, while living on the family farm. He passed that music along to many younger musicians who continue to play it today. The Thursday night music sharing sessions that he convened in his living room for many years were a joy for those who were lucky enough to gather there to learn the tunes and all the stories and lore that went with them. Recordings of Joe's fiddling and anecdotes will soon be deposited in the IU Archives of Traditional Music in Bloomington.
Joe leaves behind his dear friends, neighbors, caretakers and fellow musicians Grey Larsen and Cindy Kallet, who saw Joe through many years of illness and enabled him to live in his own home up until two days before his death. They, and Joe, were helped by numerous loving friends. Three in particular provided steadfast and superlative support: Karla Brinegar and Sherry Beer of Home Instead Senior Care and Joe's Hospice nurse, Cheryl Gordon.
Memorial gifts may be directed to IU Health Bloomington Hospital Hospice, an organization that was hugely helpful to Joe and his caretakers during his last few months. Joe was a dedicated supporter of the Salvation Army, and no doubt would be pleased to see gifts directed to that organization as well.
A service of remembrance will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 17, 2012, at Valhalla Memory Gardens Mausoleum. Joe will then be buried next to his wife at the cemetery.
A Celebration of Life service will also be held on Saturday, June 9th, at Beck Chapel on the IU Bloomington campus at 5 p.m.
Expressions of sympathy may be shared online at www.DeremiahFryeMortuary.com.
Joseph ‘Joe' Dawson, 84
APRIL 22, 1928—MAY 11, 2012
Joe Dawson, master carpenter and fiddler, and long-time resident of Prospect Hill, passed away at Hospice House in Bloomington on May 11, 2012, at the age of 84. In his last days, he was surrounded by his dearest friends.
He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Lela (Pate) Dawson; his sister, Mildred Wells; and his parents, Cletus Dawson and Myrtle Dawson Walker.
Joe was born in Bedford, Indiana, on April 22, 1928. When Joe was 10, his father died in an accident, and his mother moved to Bloomington to find employment. Joe's sister lived with his mother while Joe went to live with his mother's parents, Jasper and Ida Chambers, on their 140-acre farm on the Monroe/Brown County line.
Though money was extremely scarce, Joe and his grandparents were able to provide for almost all their needs by growing their own food, raising livestock, bartering eggs for supplies and by hewing and selling railroad ties. Years later, most of the farm was submerged by the formation of Lake Monroe.
Due to the responsibilities of helping his disabled grandfather on the farm, Joe did not have to serve in World War II, but he was drafted to fight in the Korean War and saw heavy combat.
Early in life, Joe picked up carpentry skills from his father, and after the war he worked for a time at Showers Brothers Furniture. He soon moved on to work for Superior Lumber, Pritchett Brothers Construction and CFC Incorporated. As a master carpenter, he was indispensable in the building of hundreds of important structures in Bloomington and beyond, including Beck Chapel, Fountain Square Mall, and the Graham Plaza Hotel. On the side, for a time, he raised hogs on his farm near Adel in Owen County.
As a masterful fiddler, Joe kept alive a beautiful and important repertoire of traditional music from Monroe and Brown Counties, music that has many of its deeper roots in Kentucky and the larger Appalachian Mountain region. He learned this music from the fiddle playing of his grandfather, Jasper Chambers, as well as from other relatives and neighbors, while living on the family farm. He passed that music along to many younger musicians who continue to play it today. The Thursday night music sharing sessions that he convened in his living room for many years were a joy for those who were lucky enough to gather there to learn the tunes and all the stories and lore that went with them. Recordings of Joe's fiddling and anecdotes will soon be deposited in the IU Archives of Traditional Music in Bloomington.
Joe leaves behind his dear friends, neighbors, caretakers and fellow musicians Grey Larsen and Cindy Kallet, who saw Joe through many years of illness and enabled him to live in his own home up until two days before his death. They, and Joe, were helped by numerous loving friends. Three in particular provided steadfast and superlative support: Karla Brinegar and Sherry Beer of Home Instead Senior Care and Joe's Hospice nurse, Cheryl Gordon.
Memorial gifts may be directed to IU Health Bloomington Hospital Hospice, an organization that was hugely helpful to Joe and his caretakers during his last few months. Joe was a dedicated supporter of the Salvation Army, and no doubt would be pleased to see gifts directed to that organization as well.
A service of remembrance will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 17, 2012, at Valhalla Memory Gardens Mausoleum. Joe will then be buried next to his wife at the cemetery.
A Celebration of Life service will also be held on Saturday, June 9th, at Beck Chapel on the IU Bloomington campus at 5 p.m.
Expressions of sympathy may be shared online at www.DeremiahFryeMortuary.com.
APRIL 22, 1928—MAY 11, 2012
Joe Dawson, master carpenter and fiddler, and long-time resident of Prospect Hill, passed away at Hospice House in Bloomington on May 11, 2012, at the age of 84. In his last days, he was surrounded by his dearest friends.
He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Lela (Pate) Dawson; his sister, Mildred Wells; and his parents, Cletus Dawson and Myrtle Dawson Walker.
Joe was born in Bedford, Indiana, on April 22, 1928. When Joe was 10, his father died in an accident, and his mother moved to Bloomington to find employment. Joe's sister lived with his mother while Joe went to live with his mother's parents, Jasper and Ida Chambers, on their 140-acre farm on the Monroe/Brown County line.
Though money was extremely scarce, Joe and his grandparents were able to provide for almost all their needs by growing their own food, raising livestock, bartering eggs for supplies and by hewing and selling railroad ties. Years later, most of the farm was submerged by the formation of Lake Monroe.
Due to the responsibilities of helping his disabled grandfather on the farm, Joe did not have to serve in World War II, but he was drafted to fight in the Korean War and saw heavy combat.
Early in life, Joe picked up carpentry skills from his father, and after the war he worked for a time at Showers Brothers Furniture. He soon moved on to work for Superior Lumber, Pritchett Brothers Construction and CFC Incorporated. As a master carpenter, he was indispensable in the building of hundreds of important structures in Bloomington and beyond, including Beck Chapel, Fountain Square Mall, and the Graham Plaza Hotel. On the side, for a time, he raised hogs on his farm near Adel in Owen County.
As a masterful fiddler, Joe kept alive a beautiful and important repertoire of traditional music from Monroe and Brown Counties, music that has many of its deeper roots in Kentucky and the larger Appalachian Mountain region. He learned this music from the fiddle playing of his grandfather, Jasper Chambers, as well as from other relatives and neighbors, while living on the family farm. He passed that music along to many younger musicians who continue to play it today. The Thursday night music sharing sessions that he convened in his living room for many years were a joy for those who were lucky enough to gather there to learn the tunes and all the stories and lore that went with them. Recordings of Joe's fiddling and anecdotes will soon be deposited in the IU Archives of Traditional Music in Bloomington.
Joe leaves behind his dear friends, neighbors, caretakers and fellow musicians Grey Larsen and Cindy Kallet, who saw Joe through many years of illness and enabled him to live in his own home up until two days before his death. They, and Joe, were helped by numerous loving friends. Three in particular provided steadfast and superlative support: Karla Brinegar and Sherry Beer of Home Instead Senior Care and Joe's Hospice nurse, Cheryl Gordon.
Memorial gifts may be directed to IU Health Bloomington Hospital Hospice, an organization that was hugely helpful to Joe and his caretakers during his last few months. Joe was a dedicated supporter of the Salvation Army, and no doubt would be pleased to see gifts directed to that organization as well.
A service of remembrance will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 17, 2012, at Valhalla Memory Gardens Mausoleum. Joe will then be buried next to his wife at the cemetery.
A Celebration of Life service will also be held on Saturday, June 9th, at Beck Chapel on the IU Bloomington campus at 5 p.m.
Expressions of sympathy may be shared online at www.DeremiahFryeMortuary.com.
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