John Dawes

Dr. John Nicholas Dawes
July 20, 1947, ~ January 17, 2025
Obituary
In the afternoon of January 17, 2025, Dr. John Nicholas Dawes passed away peacefully at Swedish Hospital in Seattle, WA, at the age of 77 years. John suffered from chronic illness, but a brief acute illness caused multi-organ failure and took his life in a matter of weeks.
John was born in Wimbledon, England on July 20, 1947, to Dr. Fred and Anne Dawes, both of English descent. They eventually settled on the Isle of Wight. John's father was a family doctor. John was the eldest of their two sons. His brother James is almost 4 years younger.
John was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife Mary (Sandy) Dawes, his brother-in-law Martin James, sisters-in-law Patti and Martha James, numerous nieces and nephews, and his brother James Dawes and his wife Annie, nephews Max, Harry, niece Hattie and their families.
John was highly intelligent, caring, congenial and loved God, family, friends and nature. He graduated from the Bryanston Boarding School in 1966 and attended Middlesex Medical School in London where he obtained his doctorate in General Practice. He was employed by the National Health Service, in Royal Portsmouth Hospital, where he met his wife of nearly 47 years, Mary (Sandy) James, who was working there at the time as a radiology technician. They married on April 8, 1978, in St John's Roman Catholic Cathedral in Portsmouth.
Around 1980, John and Sandy immigrated to British Columbia, Canada, and several years later made their home in Seattle, WA, near to Sandy's family.
John had many interests. In England, John enjoyed sports and played cricket, rugby, tennis and loved fishing and sailing. He loved to humbly reminisce about his adventuresome sailing journey across the Atlantic from the UK to the USA and recounted the challenges it posed. His love for sports in the USA took the form of being an avid fan of the Seattle Mariners baseball team and of Seahawks Football.
As a keen observer of nature, both natural and human, John enjoyed going for walks, meeting people along the way, taking in the beauty of a variety of flowers, watching and identifying birds, butterflies and being so excited whenever he spotted a bald eagle. He had a great capacity for recalling the names of birds and plants and educated many of us. John also enjoyed planting and attending to the garden in their yard, eagerly awaiting the early blossoms of spring.
In later years, as infirmity limited some of his outdoor activities, John enjoyed listening to music and loved watching movies, especially inspirational true stories. He grew in his appreciation of spirituality and developed a daily pattern of prayer based upon Sandy's Carmelite way and rule of life. They both attended Church daily or as often as possible, drawing strength from the grace it engendered. He found great peace in seeking God's will for his life through reading the Bible and the psalms as presented in morning and evening prayer from the Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours, which is the universal prayer for the entire Christian Church. He loved visiting the sick, serving the poor through St Vincent De Paul, socializing with other parishioners, Carmelites and developed friendships among them. If one word could describe John, it would be "gentleman". He was often described as a true gentleman and as loveable as a teddy bear. His caring nature always took their needs to heart, and he would include them in his daily prayers.
Family was especially important to John. His wife Sandy was his life, his love and during many of his later years, his caregiver. He always praised the attention she gave him and said he did not know what he would do without her. He loved her extended family here and he always kept a special place in his heart for his family in England. His longing to see and/or hear from them never diminished. Whenever he received news from England, he would jubilantly say, "I heard from Jamie today," his face would light up and he could not wait to share his joy with everyone. He would recount many fond memories of times spent with his family. John was always delighted to learn about how the family was getting along and showed great concern for their needs, keeping them in his daily prayers.
In 2018, John met Fr. Showreelu Simham at St Edward Parish in Seattle. He came to the USA from India to serve the Seattle Archdiocese for a prescribed period. Very soon after his arrival they met and became like brothers, which gave John immense joy. Fr. Simham used to tease John and call him "The King" and Sandy, "The Queen." John loved it!
During John's final illness, even while in ICU, he retained his good sense of humor. When a nurse entered the room and asked him how are you feeling? He responded, "with my fingers." He had just been taken off the respirator and extubated. He was very hungry and thirsty and repeatedly asked for a fruit cup. He was denied because a swallowing test was pending. When told that Fr. Simham was sending prayers from India for "The King," John said, "my kingdom for a fruit cup"!
The last few days of John's life, when all systems were failing, he came to understand and accept that God was calling him home and was at peace with it. John's favorite prayers were "The Unity Prayer" – (a prayer of longing for perfect union with God) and the "Our Father." He reflected upon the words in the Our Father which states, "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." At the end, he and Sandy uttered words of mutual forgiveness, and it was John's desire to ask forgiveness of anyone he had ever offended. May John rest in peace and may peace reign in all hearts.