Remembering Larry Dawson

A man who has deep roots in our community passed away over the weekend.

Larry Dawson passed away peacefully on Saturday according to his family.

On that post, as well as the post we shared regarding the news, the outpouring of love and support has been tremendous with people remembering Larry for all the different roles he played in our community over the years.

Many fondly remember the fun side of Larry from his stint as the TC Bear to his many performances on stage.

Others have great memories of the work he did volunteering in the community giving back, truly a large part of a legacy he has left behind.

Business owners also remember what he did for the business community in Simcoe as Executive Director of the Downtown Simcoe BIA and serving as General Manager of the Simcoe Town Centre.

Here at the radio station, we worked closely with Larry through various projects, especially his time with the BIA, and only have fond memories to share as well.

Our most recent interaction with Larry was the 2019 Spirit of Norfolk Awards where he took home the Happiest Senior award.

Our General Manager Alan Duthie knew Larry well.

Amongst his many accomplishments, Larry was the recipient of the Paul Harris Fellow from the Rotary Club.

Gail Catherwood knew Larry and presented him with this award.

She speaks here about a fond memory she has of him and the kind of person he was.

Larry also spent many years serving on the Fair Board and the Agricultural Society, being President of the Fair Board for a period of time.

During his term as President, Karen Matthews served as General Manager.

During this time, George Araujo was also on staff and only have great memories to look back on.

While he was with the Downtown Simcoe BIA, he worked closely with Brendalee Engelhardt as she was Chair working closely with his Executive Director role.

His “work wife” wrote this about Larry.

“My friend, Larry – he truly was a bright light in my life and the life of our community.

If there’s one thing that I think defined his life’s I’d have to say that it was his commitment to “service to others”. He just LOVED people – and he would do anything he could to make life better for his family, his friends, his colleagues, his community – EVERYBODY! There are countless service, charitable, recreational & arts organizations in Norfolk County that have benefited from his involvements over the years. He truly deserved his recognition as “Citizen of the Year”

And he did it all with such GLEE! The genuine smile, the infectious giggle, the gentle humour – these all made our days a little better, little brighter and a lot more positive.

Larry brought this wonderful attitude to his position as Executive Director of the Downtown Simcoe BIA – his last position before he retired in 2017. As Chair, I was his “work wife” (his words, not mine). Although we faced many challenges, Larry focused on initiatives that highlighted our sense of community, strengthening working relationships with the Fair Board, Police Services and County Administration. He made every effort to promote our downtown and bring recognition of our beautiful historic & cultural core. Our annual Drive-Thru Art Gallery won first place at the 2014 OBIAA conference for best Cultural Attraction. His crowning BIA achievement was the collaborative effort that brought the MUMFORD & SONS event to Simcoe with a unique emphasis on our historic downtown core.

Our little space is a better place because of Larry’s commitment to serve us all. Rest in Peace, dear friend. You did better than good! I will miss you.”

Lion Larry Dawson – did not know how to roar, just how to give of himself throughout his entire life:

Larry Dawson, Past President of the Simcoe Lions, was a staple of the skit men in the Annual Lions Show year after year. Some of his performances have become legendary. Who will ever forget his portrayal of Mayor Rita Kalmbach. When he/she made her entrance onto the stage most people in the audience actually thought it was the Mayor. The house filled with laughter and he stole the show. Almost as good was his portrayal of Mae West. He not only had the look of these two characters but every movement they had, he had also. Larry had the outfits for every single person he presented to the audience. He was also somewhat of a quick change artist as many of his skits were back to back. The skit men will tell you that many hands had a part to play in the quick costume changes.

“I will always remember Larry for all the musicals he was in, his crazy costumes and you could always count on him to have a feathery boa on hand. He sat behind us in the church choir and we sopranos could always hear his singing voice. He was such an active member in our church. He will be greatly missed.”

Larry’s acting talent was not limited to the Lions but you would often see him as TC Bear at the Mall, in parades or at some school judging talent contests and Public speaking. Can’t forget about the Easter Bunny. He brought so much happiness to the children in town and through our County.

Larry was also an active member of Simcoe Little Theatre and Old Windham United Church. Other than acting Larry’s musical talents made him valuable member of the Church choir, he was very active with the Norfolk County fair and directed Langton talent nights.

Larry was also instrumental in bringing the Gentlemen of the Road to Simcoe and making it a weekend where the town was alive and well.

Larry was always a gentleman and a gentle man. He had a way of making people feel comfortable whether in the Mall, the BIA office, selling burgs from the Lions booth or on a street corner. He was a friend to many and many sought out his counsel and guidance over the years.

But for Lions it will always be the many characters he portrayed in the Lions Show and the professionalism he displayed each and every time he hit the stage.

Simcoe Lions Club – Our thoughts and prayers are with Larry and family at this difficult time.

We will add any other tributes or write-ups that may come in as well.

These are just a few highlights of the great life that Larry lead and the people he impacted in our community.

We send our sincere condolences to Larry’s family during this time.

In 2018, Larry was awarded Citizen of the Year by the Simcoe Chamber of Commerce.

In the video package for the award, he talks about why he spent so many years giving back.

We felt it was a good time to reshare this video.

UPDATED 10 a.m.:

A post was made by the Downtown Simcoe BIA remembering Larry.

Communication Chair Person Brian Jones also provided the following comments:

https://www.facebook.com/downtownsimcoe/posts/2805166176279513