Marie Janet Dawson

Marie Janet Dawson, 87, of Peabody died Friday at Brooksby Village after a brief illness. She was the wife of the late William E. Dawson and prior to his passing in 2003, they were married for 51 years. Jan, as she was affectionately known to family and friends, was born in Lynn, MA and was the daughter of the late Joseph A. and Josephine (Martell) Forest. She attended St. Mary’s High School in Lynn, and earned a secretarial degree at the Chandler School for Women in Boston. She met her husband at the General Electric Company, where she worked for several years before leaving to raise her family. She took great pride in her home and family. She was a very clever woman, who loved to paint, sew and knit. She lived in Stoneham for many years and later worked as the office manager for the Town of Stoneham Building Department, before she and Bill retired to Holmes Beach, Florida in 1986.

Jan lost her eyesight in midlife to what she later learned was Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy , but her unwavering spirit would not allow that to slow her down. Jan attended the Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton and reclaimed many of the skills she had before losing most of her sight. Jan was active with the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind and became an advocate for the visually impaired.

Left to cherish her memory are her three daughters, Suzanne M. Dawson and her husband Dennis Zinkand of Stamford CT, Cynthia D. Langer and her husband John, of Prides Crossing, MA, Linda D. Kemp and her husband Chuck of Annapolis, MD; a son William J. Dawson and his wife Pamela of Falmouth, ME; 9 grandchildren and 1 great granddaughter. In addition to her parents and husband, Jan was predeceased by her brother, Louis E. Forest.

A Memorial Mass will be held on Saturday, November 19th at 11:00am at St. Bernard’s Church, 248 S. Harbor Dr., Holmes Beach, FL.

Donations in her memory may be made to Care Dimensions Hospice, 75 Sylvan Street, Suite B-102, Danvers, MA 01923.