Richard "Butch" Dawson

Richard “Butch” Dawson

No one knew him as Richard.  To everyone he was “Butch”.  Unfortunately, Butch left us on July 21, 2023, at the age of 91 from sepsis.  He was born in Spokane, WA on February 11, 1932, into a family of 15 children.  Butch was the last surviving member of the family.  

He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Arlene, and their three children, Linda (Larry) Tichey, Rick and Patty Froemming, all of Spokane.  They also have five grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Butch had an interesting working background, from farming, logging, construction, delivering fuel, working on a paving crew, driving truck for Spokane Rendering picking up dead farm animals from farmers and animal parts from slaughterhouses.  He also drove a milk truck, worked at the flour mill and monitored a group of struggling youth through the Neighborhood Youth Corp.  In 1969 he started his first wrecking yard called C & D Truck Parts.  After the dissolution of that business, he started Butch’s Truck Parts, which he operated until he retired at the age of 48.

Butch loved camping and snowmobiling, but his two greatest passions were hunting and fishing.  Even in his final days, he was trying to get the hospital doctor to go fishing with him!

Many thanks to the staff at Holy Family Hospital and Hospice of Spokane for their outstanding care.