Dawson Michael Teta

You know that place between sleep and awake, the place where you can still remember dreaming? That's where I'll always love you. That's where I'll be waiting. - Tinkerbell in "Hook" Dawson Michael Teta, 18, of Midlothian, passed away on Thursday, May 21, 2020. Dawson is survived by his mother, Stephanie; father Anthony; older brothers, Dominick and Anthony; younger sister, Adyn; and beloved GPa. He will also remain forever in the hearts and memories of his large and loving extended family, as well as all of his wonderful friends - too many to be named. Dawson displayed exceptional gifts from his early childhood, when he first demonstrated amazing math and vocabulary skills. He also had a great love for all things sports; especially football, where he showed a gift very early for both offense and defense and displayed an appreciation for the "intensity" of the game. His love of sports manifested as an absorption and talent for a wide variety of sport statistics, deep knowledge of the records of all players and great vision of the various strategies and plays that "should have been called." Dawson had a sense of humor that could connect specifically with each person he was interacting with at the time. He loved kids and was always patient and kind to everyone....everyone. He reflected a beautiful light and had an electric smile. He loved to learn "outside the box," much to the dismay (and probably some mild discomfort) of the teachers that he challenged. And he loved all things connected to music, although admittedly, he was not the greatest dancer. Dawson, also especially loved sunrises and sunsets, frequently shared with his sister, Adyn and captured in photographs. He was always inspired by the beauty of the beach and Smith Mountain Lake, where he enjoyed water skiing, wake boarding, fishing and anything active in the outdoors. He dreamed of traveling the world and wanted to be out in the world "living" before going into a study of and career in politics. He had a goal of "fixing" the world; but even more importantly, he wanted to fix the education system. He loved learning, but hated the "system"; and he had great ideas for improving those aspects of life. He chose (emphasis on "he") to suddenly leave high school in the spring of his junior year, but not because he didn't want to continue his education - he simply wanted to pursue what he perceived as a more aggressive "real world" education. And that's what he did. He obtained his GED in record time and simultaneously enrolled in additional college courses. He entered John Tyler last fall, and had already submitted his application and admission essay to transfer to George Mason University. This was Dawson - loyal, fierce and had it all worked out for his best path forward. He was determined to succeed in life his way, and we have no doubts that he would have done so given more time here. Dawson was a gift treasured by all who knew and loved him. He will be deeply missed, and never forgotten. His eyes were sometimes very blue and sometimes very grey; and most would say it depended on the color of the clothes he was wearing. But his mother knew his eye color typically reflected the way his mind was working at the time, especially when figuring out his next move, next dream, next scheme. In those endeavors, he was crafty, mischievous, sometimes even sneaky; and exceptionally talented at disappearing at a moments notice to avoid parental intervention. These actions were not malicious, but instead reflected his all-consuming need to follow through with his plans no matter what obstacles and arguments rose ahead of him. He butted heads with his parents on numerous occasions in the past few years for these very reasons; but we realize this was nothing more than an unintentional side effect of his determination to chart his own course. Dawson's passion was undeniable and his passing leaves a deep, unfillable, and at this point, incomprehensible hole in our lives and the lives of all those whose hearts he touched. We recognize that God must have a greater need than we can know at this time; but we regret that Dawson did not have the opportunity to have a greater impact on the world we must now live in without him. We believe with all our hearts and souls that he would have achieved, and even surpassed, his dreams; and we simply pray at this time that he knows how cherished and beloved he was and always will be. Services will be private, but can be streamed at facebook.com/WoodyFuneralHome on Saturday, June 6 at 10 am. Let your light so shine - Matthew 5:16