Douglas Frank Dawson, age 52. Loving Husband of Erika Dawson, nee Kennedy; proud dog dad to Ernie Banks Dawson; adoring son of the late James and Sharon Dawson, and Robert and the late Kay Perrone; devoted son-in-law to Michael and Nancy Kennedy; little brother to Brenda and Bob Perrone, Diana Dawson, Nancy (Tom) Wallner, the late Maribeth (John) McGreevy, Daniel (Joan) Perrone, Patty (Chris) West, Peggy (Steve) DiBrito, Sue (Mike) LaBianco.

Doug was a proud uncle to 30 nieces and nephews and 19 great-nieces and great-nephews including Christina (Steve) Brennan, Katie (Jake) Oberwetter, Bobby (Edith) Perrone, Nicholas (Taylor) Perrone, Kyle Perrone, Michael Perrone, Tiffany Dobyns, Bree Dobyns, Jack Geraghty and Ginger Geraghty.

He will be deeply missed by all of his friends. Doug never met a stranger.  Everyone he met held a special place in his heart and he always wanted to help better their lives.

Doug loved being on the water, especially on the "boat-in-law" at Lake Delavan.  He learned to surf at Huntington Beach and developed a love for the band Depeche Mode when he was living in southern California.

He had a passion for planes, which was started by his dad, James Dawson, a B-17 pilot in WWII. He could stand on his balcony and point out what type of plane was passing overhead.

Doug graduated from Edgewood College, where he was on the baseball team.  His nickname was wheels because of how fast he could run. His favorite team was the Chicago Cubs.

Doug was passionate about the City of Chicago, referred by many friends as "Mr. Chicago".  He believed it was the greatest city in the world.   If you didn't have something nice to say about the city, he didn't want to hear it.  He loved the energy, the architecture, the history.  He wanted to contribute to the city in any way possible. His friends loved his extensive knowledge of Chicago architecture and history.

Doug was always upbeat and positive.  He was our gentle giant and will be missed by all. As much as he loved his city, his greatest love by far, was his wife, Erika.

Family and friends will meet Friday, June 21, 2024, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 1107 North Orleans Street, Chicago, Illinois 60610 for a Visitation from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Family and friends will meet Saturday, June 22, 2024, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 1107 North Orleans Street, Chicago, Illinois 60610 for a 10:00 a.m. Visitation followed by a 11:00 a.m. Funeral Mass.

In lieu of flowers donations to NewRoot, https://tinyurl.com/dougdawson OR Servants of Mary – By the Guidance of Mary, https://osms.org/

For further information please call 312-421-0936.