Cremation was under the direction of Adams Funeral Home, Ozark. A memorial service will take place at a later date.
Stephen John Dauw, 70, of Ozark, died Wednesday Nov. 28, 2018.
He was born Feb. 3, 1948, in Moline, Illinois, the son of Frank and Dorothy (Stromberg) Dauw. Steve was a graduate of Alleman High School in Rock Island. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from Marquette University in 1970, and a Master of Arts Degree in Federal Health Administration from the University of Iowa in 1973.
Steve was a certified professional in human resources by the Society for Human Resource Management (PHR) and had a 20-year career spanning various leadership roles in human resource management and general management at Autozone. Prior to that, he was the owner and operator of Family Drug Pharmacy in Rockford, Illinois.
Dec. 3, 1988, Steve married the love of his life and wife of 30 years, Marilyn Short, in a small private ceremony in Rockford, where they lived for a number of years. Steve’s career took him to many new places and the two traveled together to places all over the country, including Elyria, Ohio; Glendale, Arizona; Pryor Lake, Minnesota; and Westland, Michigan. Marilyn came from a military family and was very experienced in establishing roots in new communities. She was a wonderful partner, cook and homemaker through their journeys together.
In his youth, Steve was a Boy Scout and very active in the Civil Air Patrol. He loved both of these organizations. That passion drove him to answer the call to help his community with many hours of adult service to emergency search and rescue and disaster preparedness organizations including FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security, the Community Emergency Response Team and the American Red Cross. Steve was a certified National Incident Management System (NIMS) instructor and delivered personal training in all functions of emergency management.
Steve was proud to be a three-time recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award, first from Barack Obama in 2014 and then by Donald Trump in 2017, and again in 2018, for his work in disaster services.
Steve was a devoted Catholic and spent much of his time in service to his Parish, St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church. He had a protective spirit and was focused on the safety of those around him.
Steve is survived by his wife, Marilyn; son Chris and wife Rachel (Skelton) Dauw of Austin, Texas; granddaughters Madeline Dauw and Margot Dauw; sister Deborah Wojtalak, and nieces Lisa Carlson, Laura Morrison and Emily Morrison; sister Betty Miller and husband Jon, and nephew Jon Miller and wife Beth (Lauritsen), and niece Katherine Miller.
