Born in Newaygo Michigan in 1943, Rick studied Engineering and Business at Michigan Technological University where he was a member of Delta Sigma Phi fraternity, Blue Key honorary society, edited the student newspaper, and was listed in Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities.

He met his wife of 60 years, Joyce, in Detroit in 1965 on a blind date while he was serving in the Michigan Air National Guard when she was a student nurse at Grace Hospital School of Nursing.

After college he joined the family business, which moved to Daytona Beach in 1969 and which he managed for 35 years. He was active in many organizations that supported Economic Development and Manufacturing. He was past president of the Volusia Manufacturers Association and of the Private Industry Council; he was an inductee of the Manufacturers Hall of Fame, and receipt of their Lifetime Achievement Award.

Nationally, he was an active member of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association and sat on Underwriter’s Laboratories Standards Industry Panels for Smoke Warning Systems and Nurse Call Systems, where he led the group that wrote the safety and performance standard for Emergency Call Systems. He holds patents in the fields of energy management, smoke warning, and wireless control.

He was a licensed pilot for more than 50 years and logged almost 2500 hours in several different airplanes and served as a regional governor of the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association. A lifelong boater, he was a member of the Halifax River Yacht Club.

Rick and Joyce joined Christ Presbyterian Church in 1972. He was ordained as a Deacon in 1973 and as an Elder in 1977. He also chaired several building committees, including those that built the sanctuary, the classroom wing, the second story choir and youth rooms, and two remodelings of the fellowship hall, the second of which created the Worship Center. He was instrumental in developing the Memorial Garden. He has been an active elder for more than 20 years across eight pastorates. In that capacity, he has been a confidant, advisor, and assistant to the moderator of session and provided the session with valuable polity and procedural guidance. As one elder has remarked, “Rick’s knowledge is encyclopedic.” He was conferred the honorific title of Clerk Emeritus on March 1, 2026.

He was also active at the regional level of the Presbyterian Church, having served on and chaired the Commission on Strategy, Mission and Property of Northeast Florida Presbytery and was a commissioner to the 1995 General Assembly, the highest governing council of our denomination. He was involved the formation of twelve new churches within the presbytery during his tenure.

He was endlessly curious, always asking questions, learning something new, or finding a different way to look at the world. A quiet master of surprises, he delighted in doing thoughtful things for others without fanfare or recognition. His faith was steady and deeply rooted, guiding how he lived and how he loved. Family was at the center of everything—he showed his love not in grand gestures, but in his constant presence, support, and care. Though modest by nature and never one to seek the spotlight, he left a lasting impression on everyone who knew him. His dry sense of humor, often delivered with perfect timing and a subtle smile, brought lightness and laughter in ways that were uniquely his.

He is survived by his wife Joyce Marie Dawson, son and daughter-in-law Brian and Meg Dawson, daughter Melinda Dawson, granddaughters Hope (Noah) Johnson, and Alexis Dawson and several nieces and nephews.