August 19, 1952 – November 24, 2021 

Dan went to be with the Lord on November 24, 2021.  Dan was born in Chico, California on August 19, 1952 and lived in the Chico area until his early 20’s.  Right out of high school he married Marla and they had two children. 

Dan moved his family for a short time to the Oregon coast, where he worked as a logger. He then moved his family up to Glennallen, Alaska where his uncle lived. He worked for Copper Valley Electric Association and served the community as a little league coach for a time, as well as played softball. 

Dan owned and operated Dawson Electric and was an electrician in Glennallen, until his divorce and move to Valdez, Alaska in 1989. He loved sports, hunting, and fishing and also taught his children to enjoy these activities. After his move to Valdez, where he continued his work for CVEA, he enjoyed playing horseshoes at the Pipeline Club with his family and friends, and loved halibut fishing in Prince William Sound.  

He met his second wife, Vicky in 1996 and they moved to Togiak, Alaska, where he worked as an electrician.  While living in Togiak, he enjoyed salmon fishing on the Togiak River in summer and fishing for smelt in winter.  He then moved to Wasilla in 2010 and split his time between Chico, CA and Wasilla to enjoy spending time with his children and grandchildren.   

Dan loved to play hard and work hard.  He taught us the importance of being there for our loved ones and to stick with whatever we’re doing.  He taught confidence, that you can do anything you put your mind to, and to always strive to do better. He stood for what he believed in, and instilled that in his children.  He was proud of his kids and all his grandkids! He was also quite creative, whether he was inventing or cooking up dinner.  We loved and enjoyed all his creations and his thought to details.  He was an avid game player and spent much quality family time teaching strategies and competition and even invented his own games.  Dan touched many people’s lives and will be greatly missed by his family and friends.  

Dan is preceded in death by his parents, Doran Elmo Dawson and Bonnie Jean Wharton Dawson, grandson Richard Dawson and great-grandson Zimeon Gilbert.  Dan is survived by his wife, Vicky Maahs Dawson, ex-wife, Marla Hand, son Joby (Shaunacy) Dawson, and daughter Danyell (John) Hoffman.  His brother Loren (Heather) of Cohasset, California, sisters Carol (Phil) Waters of Post Falls, Idaho, and Shanda (John) Dawson of Chico, California.  He is survived by 19 grandchildren and 17  great-grandchildren and many cousins.  A Celebration of Life will be held in Chico, California on March 6, 2022.