DICKINSON, Texas - Lyle Edward Dawson, 64, passed away unexpectedly Sunday (Nov. 1, 2009) at Clear Lake Heart Institute, Webster, Texas.

His funeral will be at 8:30 a.m. Friday at Crowder Funeral Home, Dickinson, Texas, with burial following at 11 a.m. at the Houston National Cemetery. The viewing will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established in Lyle's honor at Wells Fargo Bank.

Lyle was born Jan. 5, 1945, in Bloomington, the oldest child of James and Esther Graves Dawson.

Surviving are his mother, Esther, Normal; his wife, Barbara Melton-Dawson, Dickinson, Texas; five children, Danalee Ogg and her sons, James, Jonathan and Jacob, Normal; William (Christie Maloney) Dawson and their children, Bo and Whitney, Mackinaw; Michelle (James) Melton and their daughter, Lauren, Dickinson, Texas; Chandra (Merle) Remmert and their children, Kimberly, Skyler, Kolby and Courtney, Bacliff, Texas; and Misty (Zach Cunningham) Melton and their baby, Dickinson, Texas; one sister, Marcy, and one brother, Larry.

He was preceded in death by his second wife, Mary, in 1989; and by his father, James, in 1990.

Lyle joined the U.S. Army in 1964, after graduating from Bloomington High School. He traveled in the Army with his family and was stationed in Korea and Germany, and served in Vietnam as a combat photographer. After an honorable discharge from the military, he joined the Civil Service and settled in San Antonio. He relocated to Dickinson, Texas, in 1990.

He was a CAD draftsman for C/e Consultants and was an adjunct professor at College of the Mainland in Texas City, as a drafting instructor. In the recent years, he was an over-the-road professional driver, driving for U.S. Express.

He was a doting grandfather, loved trains, travel and the outdoors, and was an avid photographer and kayaker. He will be missed by many close friends and a large extended family.