Stedmund Dawson, 58, Is Remembered by Overflow Crowd at Bronx Church

Conductor Stedmund Dawson, who passed away on March 24 while in the cab of his D train, was mourned by an overflow crowd of parishioners at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in the Bronx on April 8th. Dawson only had two years on the job in transit, but he was a union man with many years of service at Verizon before coming to work for the MTA.

At the Church, he was remembered as “the big teddy bear,” and “a gentle giant,” before the Eucharistic service. Father Pierre-Andre Duvert, the minister, said “Stedmund did not simply read about the Good Shepherd. He knew the Good Shepherd. He lived life lovingly. When he gave you a hug, you knew it was from the heart.”

Recounting his last meeting with Brother Dawson, just days before he passed while doing overtime, Duvert was overcome with feeling and had to pause for a few moments to collect himself. Duvert recalled that Dawson was part of the Church’s vestry, or committee, and a soloist in the choir. “We just hugged,” Duvert recalled, “and I give thanks for that moment. May the last encounter with anyone be with love.”

The preacher also said that Dawson, when he couldn’t visit friends in other parts of the country, would give comfort to their parents still in the area. “His solos brought down the roof,” he continued. “This choir is mourning him because they loved him.”IB ImageIB ImageIB Image