The Denison Press Friday, March 20, 1942 pg. 1 PIONEER BUILDER OF GRAYSON COUNTY DIES THURSDAY Joseph Willis (Uncle Rip) Fawcett, 92-year-old pioneer of Grayson county, and veteran of many trades, including contracting, dentistry, building, agriculturalist, livestock industrialist and newspaper columnist, is dead today. The Grayson county pioneer, who saw this area grow from a struggling village to the industrial area it is today, died this morning at 12:55 at his home, 917 W. Laurel street, Sherman. Funeral services will be held Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock from Short-Murray chapel. Interment will be at Preston Bend. Short-Murray directing. Uncle Rip was born May 18, 1849, at St. Charles, Mo., the son of Willis and Susan Stahiers Fawcett. He came to Texas from Alexandria, Va., in 1866, moving to Grayson county in 1873. While the Civil War was raging, Fawcett was a mere lad in grade school. He was married to Miss Mary Ann Dunn, an orphan, and the couple became the parents of nine sons, six of whom still sutvive. They are Will of Oklahoma City, Dee and Frank of Denison; Ray of Pottsboro; --- of Los Angeles and Lee of Sherman. His widow and 20 grandchildren also survive. Mr. Fawcett built the first cottage in the College Park addition of Sherman, while he was contractor and builder. In his earlier days, he practiced dentistry for five years and was Sunday School superintendent of the Preston Bend Methodist church for 25 years. He acquired the nickname while writing a newspaper column which he signed "Uncle Rip." He was of Quaker parentage. Although he had participated in none of them, the pioneer lived through four wars and two of his uncles were killed in World War I. Credit has been given Fawcett for his assistance in the construction of the Red River steel bridge at Preston. The veteran builder often referred to the time he skated on the Potomac river for a loaf of bread. The recently restored Stabler head beater apothecary shop at Alexandria, Va., was established in 1872 by Edward Stabler, grandfather of "Uncle Rip." CHILDREN OF JOSEPH W. FAWCETT & MARY ANN DUNN
 The Denison Press
January 30, 1959 Funeral services for Frank S. Fawcett, 74, were held in the Pottsboro Baptist Church Sunday afternoon with the Rev. Carroll Shaw officiating. Interment was in Preston Bend Cemetery with Johnson-Moore Funeral Home in charge. Fawcett, a retired painter and carpenter, died at his home January 23 at 7:30 a.m after six years of ill health. He was born at Preston Oct. 9, 1884, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Fawcett. He attended Preston Bend school. He was a Baptist. Survivors are a son, A.R. Fawcett, Denison; a daughter, Mrs. L.T. Spence. Fort Worth; three brothers, Ray of Pottsboro, Don of Denison, and Will of Oklahoma; and six grandchildren.  Preston Bend Cemetery Susan Hawkins © 2024 If
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