Dawn M. Capecci

Born in Elmhurst, Illinois, Dawn was raised in Glen Ellyn by her loving parents, Mario and Marion Capecci. She attended the College of DuPage and Northern Illinois University, where she studied theater and developed her lifelong love of performance, storytelling, and entertaining. Before beginning her 30-year career with Starbucks, Dawn spent nearly a decade involved in troupe comedy and Chicago-area theater, where her vibrant personality, quick wit, and ability to light up a room were already unmistakable.

Dawn then began her Starbucks journey in Chicago store management before relocating to the Seattle corporate office in 2001, where she built an extraordinary network of colleagues and lifelong friends who became family. She was deeply proud of her Starbucks career and the relationships she built over three decades with coworkers, Seattle friends and mentees.

Seattle became home to Dawn, but she carried her Midwest warmth and loyalty everywhere she went. To know Dawn was to instantly love her. She was brilliant, hilarious, opinionated, coffee-loving, and completely unforgettable. She lit up every room she entered with her smile, energy, humor, and deep love for people. Dawn had a rare ability to make everyone feel special, and somehow every friend walked away believing they were her best friend — and in many ways, they probably were.

Dawn’s greatest joy was bringing people together. Cooking, entertaining, sharing stories around a crowded table, introducing friends to one another, and creating community were at the center of who she was. Her home was a gathering place of amazing food and wine where conversations lasted for hours, laughter came easily, and nobody wanted the night to end.

Dawn is survived by her mother, Marion Capecci; her siblings, Pam Capecci, John (Becky) Capecci, and Nancy (Michael) Beebe; her nieces and nephews, Andrew (Sarah) Capecci, Mark Capecci, William Beebe, and Audrey Beebe; along with countless friends whose lives were brighter because of her presence. She was preceded in death by her father Mario Capecci.

There is only one Dawn.

We will host a Celebration of Life in each city she called home. In Chicago, it will be held at Malec & Sons Funeral Home, 6000 North Milwaukee Ave, on May 23rd from 1 pm to 5 pm. The Seattle Celebration of Life will be scheduled for a later date this summer.

In lieu of flowers, the family hopes you will honor Dawn by gathering with people you love, sharing an incredible meal, opening a great bottle of wine, turning the music up loud, and making memories around the table — exactly the way she would have wanted.