Dawn Coghlan Hediger

The only daughter of Myles and Anne Coghlan, she died peacefully surrounded by her loving family. Dawn was raised in Riverside, Illinois and attended public high school there. An accomplished concert pianist, she attended the Chicago Conservatory of Music and then was admitted to Antioch College in Yellow Springs, OH. After spending two years studying Merchandising and Fashion as a model in New York City, she transferred to The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI, receiving her diploma in Journalism. It was in Ann Arbor where she met and fell in love with Fritz H. Hediger, who became the love of her life for more than 50 years. Ensign Hediger was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy in 1945, when they married and immediately began their Navy lives. Dawn immediately began to volunteer as a wife of a "Seabee" in the U.S. Naval Civil Engineer Corps, raising three sons and traveling the world with her husband. While stationed in Washington, DC, Dawn became a Charm School Instructor at Sears Roebuck, tutoring young girls about manners, fashion and cultural pursuits. After Navy life, the family moved to Princeton, NJ and then to Weston, MA where Dawn established herself in multiple leadership positions in volunteering, including The Wellesley Hills Women's Club to raise scholarship funds to deserving local students. Additionally, she worked as a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant. In 1977, the couple relocated to Naples, FL where they made a home in The Moorings and were members of Moorings Presbyterian Church. Dawn continued her love of service, volunteering at the church and at The Naples Visitors Center. She continued her love of helping others by serving first as a "Pink Lady" at Naples Community Hospital, ultimately leading that organization as President of the Volunteer Guild, the largest such volunteer community in the state. In late 2014, Dawn moved to Ft. Lauderdale, FL from Naples, FL. She is survived by her three sons, Lee F. (Valerie) Hediger of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Eric M. (Karen) Hediger of Aldie, VA and Neil C. (Kelly) Hediger of Atlanta, GA; as well as all their children and grandchildren. There will be a memorial service for Dawn's familyat a later date at Arlington National Cemetery, where she will be interred with her husband. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to either Manor Oaks-Marrinson Senior Care or to Vitas Hospice.