Fred Twiford Dawson

Fred Twiford Dawson, 95, passed away peacefully on February 2, 2026 at his home in Newark, DE.  Born in 1930 to Irwin and Mary Dawson, Fred was raised in Union Park Gardens along with two older brothers.   He graduated from Wilmington High School and earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Delaware.  Fred married Helen Zebley in June, 1953 and shared 63 happy years with her.  Beginning their married life in Aiken, SC., Fred worked for the DuPont company at the Savannah River Plant.  During this time, Ted and Lynn were born.  Returning to Delaware, they added Patty and Daniel to the family while living in Carrcroft.  In 1968, Fred designed and built their forever home in Corner Ketch while continuing to work for DuPont at Louviers.   At age 50, Fred surprised everyone by taking early retirement and launching a successful Computer Aided Design consulting company.  After three years, he moved on to his dream career as an architect and general contractor.   Fred’s unique architectural style, illustrated in remarkable hand-drawn blueprints, gave rise to a number of beautiful homes in the tri-state area.  

Fred was well known for problem-solving and offering to fix anything for anyone.  His generous spirit and desire to help others led him to serve on the board of the Methodist Action Program and to contribute time and money to equal education and a variety of other causes.  In his leisure time he loved spending time with his family at their mobile home in Fenwick Island. 

In his 90s, Fred expressed his creativity through poetry and authored a book about his life with Helen.  He will be remembered as a caring and gentle Renaissance man, philosopher, Eagles fan, opera fan,  and teller of seriously corny Dad jokes.  He gifted his children with intellectual freedom, creativity, independence, and a solid work ethic. 

Fred is survived by his four children; Ted (JoAnn) of North East, MD; Lynn Looper (Rudy) of Granite Falls, NC; Patty Vincent (Wolfgang) of St. Thomas, VI; and Dan (Anita) of Coatesville, PA; grandchildren Zach, Nick, Clint, Ross, Kurt, Max and Morgan, eight great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.  He was predeceased by his parents, wife Helen, brothers Don and Jim, and grandson Alex.  The family would like to express sincere thanks to Fred’s remarkable caretaker, Miriam, who was unfailingly by his side in the last weeks of his life.

A visitation will be held Friday, February 20, 2026 at 10:00am, followed by an 11:00am service, at Ebenezer United Methodist Church, 525 Polly Drummond Hill Road, Newark, DE 19711, where Fred was a member for 58 years.   

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Friends Life Care, 460 Norristown Rd., Suite 300, Blue Bell, PA 19422.

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