WILMINGTON — Our father, Colonel Wallace H. Dawson III (Bo), was a soldier, a warrior, on and off the battlefield. He fought for what he deeply believed in—his country and his family. He commanded respect not for who he was—a highly decorated army officer—but for how he exemplified true courage, commitment, and loyalty throughout his life, particularly in the face of severe adversity.
Throughout his life, he solemnly abided by the Army code of conduct, which prohibits surrendering one’s free will. He believed in creating his own destiny, shaping his life through positive thinking and intentional action. Every day—and he had many in his 94 years—he fought to live on his own terms.
He was proud of his distinguished military career, beginning his 31 years of service in 1948 at the tender age of 17, when, unbeknownst to his parents, he enlisted in the US Army. In 1951 he was commissioned as an infantry officer upon graduation from Officer Candidate School. His first assignment was as an infantry platoon leader in Korea. In 1972 he was inducted into the US Army Infantry Hall of Fame. His decorations and awards included the Combat Infantry Badge, Master Parachutist, Legion of Merit, three Bronze Stars, and three Air Medals. In addition to Korea, he served two combat tours in Vietnam. His duty assignments as an Infantry and Logistics Officer included Okinawa, Japan; Fort Benning, Georgia, where he trained as a paratrooper at the U.S. Army Airborne School; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Bamberg, Germany; Augsburg, Germany; Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; Giessen, Germany; Mannheim, Germany; Izmir, Turkey; and Selfridge Air Force Base, Michigan.
Born in Asheville, NC, in January of 1932 to Col. W.H. Dawson Jr. and Mary Parker Dawson, the oldest of three children, Bo traveled the world but remained a North Carolinian boy at heart; he spoke fondly of the mountains of Asheville to the shores of Oak Island. At the age of 19, he married his teenage sweetheart—Ann Dawson. Their union proved that two young people could grow old together, become intertwined, and find shelter in one another as they weathered both the joys and sorrows of life. As a husband, he was a protector and loyal partner. He relied on Ann to manage the day-to-day family operations as he rose through the ranks; still, his presence as a father was commanding.
He was our lifetime mentor. He viewed his role as a father as that of a teacher—the world as his classroom and his children as astute learners. He took every opportunity to “school us” on the business of life, whether it be vocational choice, career advice, winter tires, or investments. He prepared us well to navigate this world. He taught us to soldier on even when broken inside and to march bravely forward with our chin up. His greatest lesson was to persevere—to never acquiesce in the face of adversity and to hold tightly to hope even when it seems to dim; he modeled such perseverance to his final breath. His greatest gifts to us were his absolute faith that we would achieve our dreams and his belief that we would always be trustworthy and deserving of respect.
He and our mother traveled extensively in the United States and abroad following his retirement as a project director for Hughes Aircraft in 1989. However, he cherished the quiet life, shunning accoutrements in favor of simple pleasures. He was most content opening a can of sardines, sitting on the deck of the home he and our mother built in Oak Island, his family chatting away, and his dog Bubba nestled in his arms while he sipped a perfectly made dirty martini and watched the tangerine-colored sun slowly slip into the Lockwood Folly beyond. This is how we will remember him: as a man who loved his family above all.
Though our father is gone, within his lifetime he demonstrated an enduring love—a love that heals and reminds us that even when someone is no longer here, their heart still guards us—always.
He is grieved by his four children, Mary Lynn Bowlin of Huntington Beach, CA; Cathaleen (Tom) Ley of West End, NC; Jenine (Rich) Flexner of Oak Island, NC; and Wallace (Hana) Dawson IV of Cary, NC. Additionally, he leaves behind eleven grandchildren: Jessica (Omar) Rawi, Kyle Bowlin, Reece (Lauren) Flexner, Keaton (Kathryn) Ley, Brenden Dawson, Tyler (Emily) Bowlin, Jillian (Lee) Flexner, Lane Flexner, Anna Dawson-Pitts, Jarrett (Julian) Ley, and Ali (Chad) Wherry; eleven great-grandchildren; his sister Sarah McLeod; and multiple cousins, nieces, and nephews. He is now tightly embraced in heaven by his beloved wife, Ann; cherished daughter, Suzanne Dawson; grandchildren Liza Dawson-Pitts and Zachery Dawson-Pitts; sister, Elizabeth Rhiddlehoover; parents, Wallace and Mary Dawson; and adored childhood nanny, Annie Mayberg.
Lastly, our family would like to extend deep gratefulness to his caregiver, Brittany Mercer, who lovingly and compassionately cared for both him and our mother during their final years of life.
