George C. Dawley, 82, passed away peacefully at Providence Centralia Hospital Jan. 23, 2019. He was born Feb. 22, 1936, in Spokane, Wash.
George went to high school in Shelton and attended Centralia College, where he met the love of his life, Marilynn Jones. They married Aug. 16, 1958. Early in their marriage, George served in the United States Navy in San Diego, Calif.
Later in life, he spent his career as the manager of Central Automotive and Bearings, Inc., both located in Centralia. In addition to his family, George loved trains, whether helping to save the steam engine in Fort Borst Park or building his expansive Bear Canyon Railway model train layout. George enjoyed collecting, rebuilding and detailing rare brass engines and cabooses. He was known for having the best tables at area train swap meets because of his low prices, meticulous attention to detail and quality of craft for his favorite hobby.
George also enjoyed restoring antique cars and took great pride in maintaining his historic home. In earlier years, he was a longtime member and officer of the Centralia-Chehalis Elks Lodge.
He was preceded in death by in-laws, Ron and Wilma Jones; wife, Marilynn Dawley; and sister-in-law, Pat Shultz.
George is survived by his daughter, Sherry Dawley of Wenatchee; son, Matt and daughter-in-law, Kate and granddaughter Annika Dawley of Olympia; nephew, Ron Shultz of Olympia; and brother-in-law, Al Jones and his wife, Marla of Kingston. He is also survived by a half-sister, Helen King; and numerous nieces and nephews in Oregon, Washington and Missouri.
The family appreciates the support given by George’s close friend, Don Smith during his recent illness.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019, at 11 a.m., at Newell-Hoerling’s Mortuary, 205 W. Pine St., Centralia, Wash.
