Obituary of Dayton Edward Haworth

Dayton E. Haworth, IV, left this earth for his heavenly home on June 23, 2016, after a long & valiant battle with cancer. Born to Dayton E. Haworth, III & M. Ethyl Haworth in Grand Junction, CO, on May 26, 1946, he is survived by his devoted & loving wife, Dottie Haworth, & his daughter Tiffany Haworth of Youngstown, OH, & 5 grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents. While a wide variety of professions attracted Dayton's attention, he never forgot the years he devoted to the boys at Northern Nevada Children's Home where he guided the lives of ten boys, ages 6 to 18, utilizing his degree in sociology from the University of Oregon. His God given skills were revealed in building wooden boats, which led to refining his skills in sculpting a number of artistic pieces in both wood and stone. His friend Drue Corbitt, a self-taught lathier, inspired him to create a sculpture in cedar of a life like apple, pear and banana in 2016. Dayton was blessed with a rare 56 year friendship with Darwin Raymond, who stayed in Glenwood Springs, CO, where they met. Dayton & Dottie were childhood sweethearts & God brought them back together after the deaths of their first mates. Dayton loved to travel & actually lived in 17 states. He proudly served in the U.S. Air Force, stationed in Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. He was assigned to Social Services as a drug & alcohol abuse counselor. He & Dottie worshiped & served the Lord together at First Missionary Baptist Church in Auburndale. He shared God's word, his testimony, lunches with day laborers through the Labor of Love Ministry & considered supporting the youth of the church in their ministries a privilege. An avid reader, he wrote original poems & short stories. He was a talented musician, playing the guitar & drums. His own physical issues led him to invent a guitar allowing easy fingering of chords for those challenged in twisting their lower arm & wrist. His appreciation of the beauty of wood & various sound effects from different shapes of guitars led him to collect & play 22 guitars. Having driven in NHRA drag races in his 20s, his team set a world record of 214 mph in 1966. NASCAR was his passion; an afternoon or evening spent with Dottie watching a race was a golden moment. He collected a number of cars & did much of his own mechanical work. His favorite was a 1989 C-4 Corvette featuring a Longenfeter engine package, which was built & raced by R & S Motorsports for 2 yrs. He parted with his prized 1923 Ford coupe hot rod when he moved to FL. Driving around Polk Co. with Dottie in his Corvette, 1991 Jaguar XTS & 1979 Lincoln Continental Mark V, trips to the Guitar Center, car shows & coffee with Drue were his pleasures. He'll be sorely missed by his family, friends & Tux, Cruiser & Honey Bear, his canine friends. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Salvation Army, 2620 Kathleen Rd., Lakeland, FL, 33810 or Good Shepherd Hospice, 105 Arneson Ave., Auburndale, FL, 33823.