James Johnstone Dawson Jr.

James (“J.J.”) J. Dawson, Jr. of Clinton, MD passed away on Friday, July 19, 2019 at the age of 88. He was born in Jersey City, NJ on January 7, 1931 to Martha Blanche (Hayden) and James J. Dawson. He had three sisters Rosemary, Dorothy, and Miriam. He moved to Washington, DC at a young age and went on to join the Naval Reserves at 17. After a year in the Navy he transferred to the Marine Corps Reserves briefly before being activated to serve in Korea. After more than six years in the Marines he transferred to the Air Force as a hydraulic airplane mechanic where he served until his retirement in 1973 at the rank of Senior Master Sergeant. Anyone who knew him will remember that he loved to tell stories of his time in places such as Japan, Korea, Thailand, Okinawa, and Indonesia. His devotion to his country and to military service was passed on to three sons and three grandchildren who collectively serve or have served in four of the armed service branches (Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy). After a brief stint selling real estate he worked for the Washington Metro as a train mechanic and ultimately as a maintenance supervisor before he once again retired in early 1995. James met the love of his life, Kathleen O’Donnell, in 1948 and they married in 1951. From this union they had seven children James Johnstone II, Neal Daniel, Shawn Patrick, Glen Michael, Sharon Edna, Colin William, and Kenneth Brian. They would have celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary in September. James is preceded in death by parents; sisters Rosemary and Dorothy; son, Shawn; and great granddaughter, Savannah. He is survived by his loving wife, Kathleen; sister, Miriam; and children James (Helen), Neal (Terry), Glen, Sharon, Colin, and Ken (Beth). He is also survived by thirteen grandchildren (Jenny, Crosby, Daniel, James Johnstone IV (Irina), Kyle, Neal, Kara, Julianna (Connor), Emma, Sarah, Kaden, Kameron, and Avery) and three great grandchildren (Jacob, Colton, Konnor) with another due in August. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in James’ memory to the Wounded Warriors Project, Mission 22, or to a veteran’s charity of your choice. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of James Johnstone Dawson Jr. please visit our Sympathy Store.