James Leon Dawson, 77, of Freeport, IL, went to be with the Lord on February 5, 2020. He was born on December 29, 1942 in Walnut Ridge, AR, to Truman and Essie Lorene (Jones) Dawson. He married Diane Bressler on February 20, 1971 in Rockford, IL. He was self employed as the owner of Dawson Agency in Freeport, IL for over 40 years. James was the President of Northwestern IL. Mutual Insurance Company and served in the Army for 3 years in France and Germany. He enjoyed trap shooting for many years and was a Class B state champion in Illinois, third in the state in handicap, and a non-resident state champion in Florida in 1970. He was a PTA President, Freeport City Alderman for 8 years, and a long time member of Park Hills Church, where he served as an elder.

Survivors include his wife Diane Dawson; children Brian (Heather) Dawson and Beth (Jason) Schmidtgall; grandchildren Evan Schmidtgall, Sydney Dawson, Lauren Schmidtgall, Tyler Dawson, Brooke Schmidtgall, Reagan Dawson, brother Truman Leroy Dawson (Miyo); and his beloved dog Callie Mae.

He was preceded in death by his father Truman Dawson, mother Essie Dawson, sister Anna Stine, and sister Shirley Dawson.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday February 22, 2020 at 3 PM, with visitation from 1:30 PM until time of service, at Park Hills Evangelical Free Church, 2525 W. Stephenson St. in Freeport, IL.