Nancy Willett Dawson

She was born on April 20, 1937, in Chicago, Illinois and was a loving and devoted wife to Thomas Charles Dawson and very proud mother to 7 children, and grandmother to 19 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

Nancy lived a full and meaningful life, touching the hearts of all who knew her. She was deeply committed to helping and caring for her family, her friends, her church and her community.

Upon graduating high school in Madison, WI she attended St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing now part of Rush University in Chicago, IL. She took a break from her studies to get married and raise her four children. Committed to complete her education she enrolled in the Nursing program at Montgomery County Community College in Rockville, MD where she eventually earned her bachelor’s in nursing in 1979.

Beyond graduating from Nursing School, 1979 was a significant year for Nancy. She and her loving husband Tom were married on July 27th blending two families together, creating a loving and devoted bond to seven children. In the same year they sent two kids off to college, moved with three children to Midlothian, VA and she started working at St. Mary’s hospital as an operating nurse.

During her employment at St. Mary’s she worked as one of the first scrub nurses in the newly created Ambulatory Surgery Center. She earned a reputation for being thoughtful, meticulous, organized, and one of the best surgical nurses around. So much so she was recruited by a group of Ophthalmologists who created their own surgery center, Virginia Eye Institute (VEI). She continued to work at VEI building life-long friendships and finally retired at the age of 70.

Beyond Nancy’s professional life, she cherished her family above all else. She shared the love of travel with Tom, visiting over seventeen countries. In their many travels they enjoyed skiing and spending time with family relaxing by the beach. Nancy’s love for her church, her family, gardening, reading, cooking and entertaining brought joy not only to her but also to those around her.

She was preceded in death by her husband Tom; parents John and Beryl, sister Joan, and son Tom Jr.

She is survived by six children and their spouses, Patty (Keith), Laura (Tom), Julia (Jim), Sue (Gregg), John (Melanie), Christy (Doug); and daughter, in-law Laurie; her nineteen grandchildren, Derek, Corey, Kristin, Tom, Krista, Kathleen, Billy, Ellen, Charlotte, Kyle, Tommy, Kelsey, Jake, Michael, Emily, Tommy, Grady, Sarah, Henry; her fourteen great-grandchildren Tommy, Cody, Luke, Henry, Greg, Rory, Dawson, Aiden, Charlie, Claire, Wesley, Jack, Annie, and Daniel; her sister, Barbara; brother-in-law, Bob; and sister-in-law, Cheryl.

A memorial service to celebrate Nancy’s life will be held on Saturday, August 1, 2026, at 12:00PM at Manakin Episcopal Church, 985 Huguenot Trail, Midlothian, Virginia.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Nancy Dawson's memory to Manakin Episcopal Church.

We would like to thank the staff at Manorhouse and Suncrest Hospice, especially Jacqui and Yvonne who provided exceptional and compassionate care.