Patricia Ann (Keahey) Dawson

Patricia Ann Dawson, 88, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, passed away Sunday, July 2, 2023, at home surrounded by family.

A Funeral Mass will take place at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Monday, July 17, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. Burial will immediately follow at Highland Memorial Cemetery, 1827 College Drive, Mt. Carmel, Illinois.

Family and friends are invited for a visitation on Sunday, July 16, 2023, from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. with a Rosary service at 6:45 p.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 125 W. 5th Street, Mt. Carmel, Illinois.

Memorials can be made to St. Mary’s Catholic School, 417 Chestnut Street, Mt. Carmel, Illinois 62863. Envelopes will be available at the church.

She was born February 4, 1935, the daughter of Hoytt Wade and Nida (Basham) Keahey in Fort Worth, Texas. Patricia graduated from Mt. Carmel High School in 1953. She attended Monticello College, then transferred and graduated from Northwestern University in 1957. That same year on June 15th, Patricia married her high school sweetheart, James Dawson, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Mt. Carmel, Illinois.

 After college, Patricia was an elementary school teacher and worked as a secretary in a law office. When her husband retired from the Marine Corps, Patricia returned with her family to Mt. Carmel, and worked as the secretary/bookkeeper for the company in which her father was a partner, Hayes-Wolf Oil Company.

Patricia enjoyed the arts and had several hobbies. After being inspired by a bell choir performance in Evansville, she donated the bells to St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Mt. Carmel, in her mother’s memory. Other hobbies she enjoyed were dancing and square dancing with James, and reading anything she could get her hands on, both fiction and non-fiction. She loved learning new things, even the new tax code one year because she thought the information might come in handy. Her most favorite hobby which she played until a few months ago was bridge. She earned enough sanctioned points to become a Life Master.

Pat enjoyed participating in clubs and volunteering her time in the community. She was a member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood in each town she resided, Mt. Carmel, The Villages, FL, and Mount Pleasant, SC. In The Villages, FL, she helped organize a new chapter. Also, while on the St. Mary’s School Board, she served as president. At each base James was assigned in the Marine Corps, Patricia was a member of the Officers’ Wives Club. In Mt. Carmel, Patricia was involved in Newcomers Club.

After retirement, Patricia and James enjoyed traveling, filling their passports with stamps. Among her favorites were a train trip across Canada, from Quebec to Vancouver, celebrating their 60th anniversary with James and cousin, Donald Bailey; visiting Australia and New Zealand; skiing in Japan; and cruising with family on Disney cruises.

She was a member of St. Benedict Catholic Church in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

Left to cherish Patricia’s memory are her children Julia Seaton and husband Gregory of Mount Pleasant, SC, and Nida Hedge and husband Jason of Brentwood, TN; grandchildren Lauren and Hannah Seaton, Jessica, Colin, Tristan, and Ava Hedge; and cousin, Donald Bailey.

Patricia was preceded in death by her husband, James, her son John Wade, and her parents.

Condolences may be sent to www.short-cunninghamfh.com

Short-Cunningham Funeral Home is honored to serve Patricia’s family.

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