March 1, 1917 April 22, 2012

Marvin W. Mutt Dawson of Hermiston, a former Wallowa County rancher, died April 22, 2012, at the age of 95.

Marvin was born at the family ranch in Collburn, Colo., to Edith Pearl (Coine) and James Franklin Dawson. He got the nickname of Mutt when he was eight weeks old from two nurses who moved in to help take care of him when he came down with measles.

When Mutt was eight months old his family sold their ranch in Colorado and took a train to the end of the line in Shaniko, Ore. They then took a wagon to Plainview where Mutt attended grade school, graduating from Redmond High School in 1935.

He worked for Duffy Nor, riding race horses. He then worked for the Keystone ranch in Prineville and the Howard Mayfield ranch in Lower Bridge.

He was in the U.S. Army as a lineman for communication during World War II, serving in Alaska, the Battle of the Bulge and the march through France to Germany.

After the war he went back to work for Howard Mayfield south of La Pine. He met his wife of 59 years, Carmen Ferns at the La Pine grocery store. They were married March 10, 1949, in Bend.

They retired to their house in Wallowa after ranching in Lostine for 23 years. Prior to living in Wallowa County, the Dawsons ranched in La Pine. In 1961 they received the Deschutes County Cattleman of the Year award.

Mutt was a supporter of 4-H and FFA, in which his children were active. He was also a member of the South Fork Grange.

He is survived by his daughter, Colleen Winters and her husband Tim; sons, Mark Dawson and Lyle Dawson and his wife Barbara; five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Carmen, his brothers Perry and Ira Dawson and half- brother Jamie Dawson and sisters Wilma Charmon and Thelma Reetz.

A service is planned for 11 a.m. Friday, April 27, at the Bollman Funeral Home in Enterprise, with burial to follow at the Lostine Cemetery.