download the May 2011 issue (PDF). - Inside Chappaqua

Loving Dawn
by Laurie Fessler
In honor of Mother’s Day, we’d
like to add a bit of substance to
the word “mother” by acknowledging
the life and recent loss of one
extraordinary mother in our community,
Dawn Re....
and the sun shone through the
wind-swept trees and beamed
on the empty branches like
golden necklaces. From my
window, it looked way too
pretty a day to lose a loved one.
Dawn peacefully passed away at
home surrounded by her loving
family.
It starts in the evening with
the darkening sky. The winds
get cold enough to slap your
face. You can no longer remember
what summer felt like. The
seasons change quickly as does
life. You see a friend in the
distance who looks sallow and
frail. You gasp inwardly and
feel your stomach plummeting
right down to your now-numb
toes. You wish on the first star
sparkling brightly in the tooblack
sky.
Not many of us know the
details. People, friends, wellwishers
talk, not out of gossip,
but out of love and concern.
There was an entire neighborhood
on the watch for her. We followed
her slow, measured walk. If I saw
her walking alone, I would squish
my feet into sneakers and run out
the door to join her. She welcomed
the company but would never ask
for it. Whenever you asked her
how she felt, she would flash her
brilliant smile and always replied,
“Fine.”
She was an extraordinary woman,
loyal friend, devoted wife, nurturing
and supportive mother. She
was kind to everyone she met. To
witness her determination and
lightning-quick spirit was, to say
the least, awe-inspiring. She was
the stubborn warrior.
12 Inside Chappaqua May 2011
July 13, 1962 to February 11, 2011
Dawn Re, beautiful wife to John and devoted
mother to Samantha, Matthew and Jason, grew up
in Middlebury,Vermont. Dawn graduated from the
University of Vermont where she majored in Psychology
and Social Services. Later, Dawn became an RN
and worked at White Plains Hospital and Mount Kisco
Medical Group. She and her family have been active,
longtime residents of Chappaqua. Dawn will be sorely
missed by all who had the honor of knowing her.
In the middle of the night, when
things feel grossly exaggerated
and emotions run high, we look
for dawn, for the first glimmer of
hope. We huddle beneath layered
blankets thinking we will never be
warm again all the while knowing
she is saying in her most determined
voice, “I will fight this.” She
left an indelible mark on every
person she met, and if you asked
her if she knew this, she would tilt
her head back, laugh heartily and
deny it. Yet we know the truth. We
all do.
I will never look at the winter
light in the same way again. My
friend, Dawn, passed away on
February 11, 2011, after her long
battle with cancer. The sky was blue
We pray, we love, we ask for
blessings. Let the dawn come
quickly erasing the troubled
nights, replacing them with
hope and a circle of love from
near and far. We pray individually
and collectively and
in a thousand different ways
because we know love has no
religion. We pray in hushed
whispers for Dawn and ask
that her family be blessed with
the same strength with which
Dawn lived her life.
As time marches on, may
we take with us our endearing
memories of Dawn Re, everyone’s
friend.
By Laurie Fessler, wife, mother
& friend of Dawn’s. You can find
her blogposts on: Hibernationnow.wordpress.com
Greeley Quakers
“Knocking Out Cancer”
Dawn’s son, Matt, and the
entire Greeley baseball team
are knocking cancer out of
the park by raising money for
the American Cancer Society.
It works on a pledge system
based on the total of runs the
team scored at the end of the
season. To find out more or
make a pledge, please email
marby3790@yahoo.com.