Dwight Leonard Allison Jr. 96 passed away on November 10, 2025 in Costa Mesa, CA.
Dwight was born on October 27, 1929 in Boston, MA, a son of Dwight L. and Stella D. Allison. He had loving parents with a strong work ethic and a desire to see their children become well educated. When Dwight was 12 years old, he told his mother he wanted to fly in an airplane. She had never been on a plane, but she quickly purchased two tickets from Boston to Hartford, CT and they flew down and back the same day. When he was about 15, he told his mother he wanted to hitch-hike to New York City to see the big city. His mother said, "Go ahead". Dwight enticed a friend to accompany him. They went to the top of the Empire State Building and surveyed the city. On the way home, the police picked them up on the Henry Hudson Parkway, berated them for hitch-hiking, and put them on a bus back to Boston. When he walked up to his house, his father was sitting on the front porch and told him, "Just keep on going". With support from his mother, however, these episodes and others encouraged him at an early age to explore as wide a world as possible and to break out of his comfort zone.
Dwight had an endless thirst for knowledge and a passion for discovering the world around him and his purpose within it. Sometime in his mid-teens, he confessed to a priest that he was troubled by some of the doctrines of the Church. The priest asked, "Like what?" and Dwight responded, "I don't understand how the bread and wine can be transformed into the body and blood of Christ". The priest asked, "Do you believe Washington crossed the Delaware?". "Yes". He said, "Why?" "I learned it in school". He said, "Someone told you. Correct?". "Yes". He replied, "Well I'm telling you...". Dwight knew then that he could not simply accept what someone told him and he needed to use his own mind to figure out his beliefs.
At age 13, he was admitted to the Boston Latin School and was 1 of 2 students who did not live in Boston. For the next six years, he commuted over an hour each way by foot, bus, subway, and trolley car to get to school. Boston Latin School imbued Dwight with the idea that he was privileged to be at the school and contributed to his aspirations. Dwight attended Dartmouth College where he majored in history, and then received his MBA at the Amos Tuck School of Business, all in five years. After several years serving in the Airforce in North Africa, he returned to Harvard Law School and earned his J.D. degree. Although his formal education ended here, he spent his life in pursuit of knowledge, which he often imparted to his children, grandchildren and those around him.
After law school, Dwight joined the Boston law firm Goodwin, Proctor and Hoar but shortly after making partner, to the shock of many, he resigned to find a new challenge. Over the balance of his career, he was a vice president of Gardner Associates, an investment management firm; one of two principal owners and officers of C. H. Sprague & Son Company; a venture capitalist; a CEO and Chairman of The Boston Company; a private investor; and a director of The Boston Company, Boston Safe Deposit and Trust Company, Avery Dennison, Mellon Financial Corp., Westmoreland Coal Company and the Sea-Land Containership Corp. Upon retirement, Dwight spent many years in philanthropy, including serving the communities he lived in, by serving as the Chair of National Council on Foundations, Chair of The Boston Foundation and Chair of the Community Foundation of Palm Beach and Martin Counties.
Dwight is survived by his wife Lyona (Strohacker) whom he met while at Dartmouth in 1951. Lyona confided to a friend after their first meeting, "I could marry a guy like that". They were married in 1954 and remained happily married for 71 years.
Dwight was preceded in death by his parents, Dwight L. and Stella Allison, and sister, Dorothy Caprera, and is survived by his children, Dwight L. Allison III and his wife Jane, Laurie A. Dixon and Barbara Lynn Allison, 5 grandchildren; Dewey and his wife Jen, Matt and his wife Casey, James and his wife Ashley, Kate & Tori and two great grandchildren; Aiden and Riley. Despite a successful and exciting career, Dwight was most happy laughing and engaging with his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He will be forever remembered by his family for always providing guidance and support for all of their dreams and aspirations, as a man who brought passion and discipline to all of his endeavors and for his advice of, "Illegitimi non carborundum".
There will be no public service.
Dwight was born on October 27, 1929 in Boston, MA, a son of Dwight L. and Stella D. Allison. He had loving parents with a strong work ethic and a desire to see their children become well educated. When Dwight was 12 years old, he told his mother he wanted to fly in an airplane. She had never been on a plane, but she quickly purchased two tickets from Boston to Hartford, CT and they flew down and back the same day. When he was about 15, he told his mother he wanted to hitch-hike to New York City to see the big city. His mother said, "Go ahead". Dwight enticed a friend to accompany him. They went to the top of the Empire State Building and surveyed the city. On the way home, the police picked them up on the Henry Hudson Parkway, berated them for hitch-hiking, and put them on a bus back to Boston. When he walked up to his house, his father was sitting on the front porch and told him, "Just keep on going". With support from his mother, however, these episodes and others encouraged him at an early age to explore as wide a world as possible and to break out of his comfort zone.
Dwight had an endless thirst for knowledge and a passion for discovering the world around him and his purpose within it. Sometime in his mid-teens, he confessed to a priest that he was troubled by some of the doctrines of the Church. The priest asked, "Like what?" and Dwight responded, "I don't understand how the bread and wine can be transformed into the body and blood of Christ". The priest asked, "Do you believe Washington crossed the Delaware?". "Yes". He said, "Why?" "I learned it in school". He said, "Someone told you. Correct?". "Yes". He replied, "Well I'm telling you...". Dwight knew then that he could not simply accept what someone told him and he needed to use his own mind to figure out his beliefs.
At age 13, he was admitted to the Boston Latin School and was 1 of 2 students who did not live in Boston. For the next six years, he commuted over an hour each way by foot, bus, subway, and trolley car to get to school. Boston Latin School imbued Dwight with the idea that he was privileged to be at the school and contributed to his aspirations. Dwight attended Dartmouth College where he majored in history, and then received his MBA at the Amos Tuck School of Business, all in five years. After several years serving in the Airforce in North Africa, he returned to Harvard Law School and earned his J.D. degree. Although his formal education ended here, he spent his life in pursuit of knowledge, which he often imparted to his children, grandchildren and those around him.
After law school, Dwight joined the Boston law firm Goodwin, Proctor and Hoar but shortly after making partner, to the shock of many, he resigned to find a new challenge. Over the balance of his career, he was a vice president of Gardner Associates, an investment management firm; one of two principal owners and officers of C. H. Sprague & Son Company; a venture capitalist; a CEO and Chairman of The Boston Company; a private investor; and a director of The Boston Company, Boston Safe Deposit and Trust Company, Avery Dennison, Mellon Financial Corp., Westmoreland Coal Company and the Sea-Land Containership Corp. Upon retirement, Dwight spent many years in philanthropy, including serving the communities he lived in, by serving as the Chair of National Council on Foundations, Chair of The Boston Foundation and Chair of the Community Foundation of Palm Beach and Martin Counties.
Dwight is survived by his wife Lyona (Strohacker) whom he met while at Dartmouth in 1951. Lyona confided to a friend after their first meeting, "I could marry a guy like that". They were married in 1954 and remained happily married for 71 years.
Dwight was preceded in death by his parents, Dwight L. and Stella Allison, and sister, Dorothy Caprera, and is survived by his children, Dwight L. Allison III and his wife Jane, Laurie A. Dixon and Barbara Lynn Allison, 5 grandchildren; Dewey and his wife Jen, Matt and his wife Casey, James and his wife Ashley, Kate & Tori and two great grandchildren; Aiden and Riley. Despite a successful and exciting career, Dwight was most happy laughing and engaging with his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He will be forever remembered by his family for always providing guidance and support for all of their dreams and aspirations, as a man who brought passion and discipline to all of his endeavors and for his advice of, "Illegitimi non carborundum".
There will be no public service.
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