Harry was born in Smartsburg, Indiana to Harry Sr. and Ethel Dawson. Harry was a noted builder, having built hundreds of homes in Montgomery County. He was also an avid outdoorsman who loved mushrooming and fishing, leading regular forays to Canada and Alaska. He served in the United States Army in Okinawa and was a longtime elder at Smartsburg Christian Church.
He is survived by his wife, Virginia Warren Dawson and four children, Terri and her husband Jeff Clark (Albuquerque, NM), Debra(Missoula, MT) Tim (Stinson Beach, CA) and Douglas (Crawfordsville, IN), his sister Jane Swank and two grandchildren, Songwah and Dorathy Ly.
He is preceded in death by his sisters, Dorothy, Betty, Ruth, Ruby, Midge and Marjorie, as well as his brothers, George and Russell.

A funeral service will be held on December 3rd at Smartsburg Christian Church at 2 p.m. with interment immediately following at Oak Hill Cemetery. A memorial celebration of Harry's life will be held on December 4th at the Crawfordsville American Legion from 4 to 7 p.m.