Drew Kingsland Dawson, 75, of Friday Harbor, Washington, passed away at home after a long illness on June 21, 2024. He was the son of Graeme Colby Dawson and Jean Elizabeth (Ebbets) Dawson, both deceased.
Dawson graduated from Kingswood School in West Hartford, Connecticut, and later earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from Antioch College in Ohio, specializing in art education.
Throughout his career, Dawson worked as a lapidary artist, ceramicist, screen printer, carpenter, and certified welder. With his sister Dale, he co-founded Cummington Farm in the Berkshires — a 600-acre property converted into a renowned Nordic ski resort with dining and lodging. He served as President of the National Ski Touring Operators Association and championed the sport nationally.
Later, Dawson relocated to La Jolla, California, where he became a licensed sailing instructor and home inspector before establishing a classic car restoration business. He married Kristine Nowell in La Jolla on March 28, 1991, and later moved to Friday Harbor to raise their two children: Tyler Craig and Sierra Dale.
On August 3, 2006, Dawson married Kathryn Susan Cope in a two-day celebration on Orcas Island. He embraced her daughter Melanie as his own.
Known for kindness, patience and generosity, Dawson is survived by his wife, three children, sister Dale Ann Dawson and her husband Joseph Petrolito, and cousins Karen Lee Fraser and Reid Warner Fraser.