LeGrand "Bud" Dawes Jr.

LeGrand “Bud” Dawes (97), born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, went to be with his Lord and Savior in Heaven on May 31, 2024. His wife, Shirley (Payne) Dawes, second wife, Irene Chunn, his son, William “Jake” Dawes, his daughters Gloria Dawes, and Deborah (Dawes) Ellis, and his brothers Albert Dawes and Walter Dawes, along with his parents LeGrand Dawes Sr. and Ella Mae Dawes were there to greet him.

Bud took pride in serving this great country during World War II. Once a Marine, always a Marine! He was stationed in Guam, and he received an Honorable Discharge in 1946.

He was baptized and a born-again Christian. He attended various Baptist churches and when unable to attend personally set his clock to Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. to watch Pastor Charles Stanley on TV. He always held strong in his faith!

Bud, self-professed as “the man that rode the mule around the world,” was very accomplished and lived life to the fullest! He graduated from Woodlawn High School and went to TV Technician Trade School. He held various technician and mechanical jobs during the first half of his life including working for Western Auto and Baptist Medical Center Princeton. In the later years of his life, he ran an Escort Service. No, not women, he escorted semis. He was a pilot car driver until he retired at the age of 96 and he enjoyed every moment running with Long Foundation Drilling Co, and especially all the runs he had with his friend Brad.

For a brief time, he was a member of the CB Club in Alabama and was a “professional” clown for the Jerry Lewis Telethons. He felt strongly about helping those in need as well as making people laugh.

He became a private pilot in 1947 and became a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in 1970. As a private pilot, there were many days spent at the airport where he was either flying the airplane for skydivers or skydiving himself. Every time he would jump, he somehow found the only tree in the area and got caught up in it. He gave up jumping but kept on flying. Many fun family trips were taken and there was never a dull moment flying with him! He would do some acrobatics just to scare our mule.

He won the Outstanding Individual Achievement Award from the EAA in 1971 for recognition of distinguished service and for his contribution in developing, promoting, and advancing private and sport aviation interests. He went on to build seven (7) homebuilt experimental aircraft including his first, the Pietenpol, the Hatz Classic bi-plane, Sea plane/Puddle jumper, and four (4) Breezy's. He and his wife, Shirley, flew a newly built experimental aircraft to Oshkosh, WI each year. He was featured in the August 20, 1973 issue of Sports Illustrated flying a Breezy.

Bud was the neighborhood goodwill ambassador, and his close friends Gail, Sabrina, and Selso would attest to that. He was a member of The Masons, Elk Lodge, and the American Legion where he was a Gold Star Father.

Throughout his life he always had a joke to tell or something he would do to make others have those great big belly laughs. He was a regular on Cumberland Lake on his pontoon boat the “Hooter Scooter” where he was known as the Spinner Man due to all the spinners on his boat. Quite often you would find him in a restaurant hanging a spoon from his nose just to make people laugh and before you knew it everyone in the restaurant would follow suit and hang spoons from their noses, too. He was always the instigator of fun and the life of the party!

Bud had one final wish and that was for President Donald Trump to be acquitted of all charges and to be re-elected to serve this great country. Amen!

He is survived by his children Sherry Brock, Teressa (Larry) Mewbourn, Laura (Bill) Kehlenbrink; his sisterAnn Hughes; his grandchildren Tommy Brock, Erin Plunkett, William Ellis, Kristen Ellis, Jacob Kehlenbrink, Diana Kehlenbrink, 2 great grandchildren, 2 great, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, other family, and friends too numerous to list but not forgotten. We love you, love you, love you, and miss you, miss you, miss you!

On Saturday, June 29, 2024 from 12:00 noon-2 p.m. a gathering of family and friends will be held to celebrate the remarkable husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin, friend,and neighbor Bud was!